Scientists Edge Closer To A Blood Test To Detect Eight Common Cancers

In a major development, scientists have devised a blood test that can detect eight of the most common types of cancer. Hence, a team of scientists at John Hopkins University, who published the study in journal Science, said the test could be available to patients in the next couple of years. The test called CancerSEEK looks for the presence of eight different types of cancer, including breast, lung and colorectal cancers, ovarian, liver, stomach, pancreatic and esophageal which are commonly diagnosed when it is too late to battle them and are together accountable for more than 60 percent of cancer deaths in the United States. There have been numerous attempts more than two decades to develop blood tests to screen for cancers. Some look for proteins in the blood that appear with cancer. Others more recently have focused on DNA from tumors. But these methods alone don't give reliable results.

So, for the first time we are seeing a possible for a blood test that can screen for many types of nasty cancers that until now we have had to wait until symptoms are diagnosed quite late. CancerSeek looks for traces of mutated DNA and proteins released by tumors in the bloodstream explicitly mutations in 16 genes and eight proteins. However, working with blood samples of 1,005 people with one of the eight different cancer types, researchers used CancerSEEK to dependably recognize the tumors in 70 percent cases. ," said Professor Peter Gibbs from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, who was one of the researchers involved in the study.

Moreover, the success rates ranged from an inspiring 98 percent in case of ovarian tumors to only 33 percent in people with breast tumors. This field of early detection is very critical, and the results are very exciting," Dr Cristian Tomasetti from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine told the BBC. I think this can have a huge impact on cancer mortality, thus apart from the ease of a blood test; another factor going for CancerSeek is the cost of the testing. As for the cost of the test, the research team has tried hard to make it affordable. The projected price tag of $500 for the test is less than for those of other screening methods. Professor Gibbs said with the progress of the technology and with more people partaking of the test, they expected the cost to come down over time. So expectantly, sooner or later this will be a few hundred dollars, which puts it in the ballpark of numerous other tests that we routinely do.

Joshua Cohen, the lead author of the study, said, our eventual vision is that a person goes to their primary caution provider for a routine checkup and at the same time as testing their cholesterol, they have a screening to test for different types of cancer. Though, the researchers stressed the need for a larger-scale trial before making CancerSEEK available commercially. Therefore, with this in mind, they are get on on a new study featuring 10,000 healthy individuals, eager it will allow them to further ascertain if the test can accurately predict who ultimately develops cancer. The potential study will answer the question, can this test detect cancer earlier than conventional methods, and at the same time as this, we will be working on improving and refining CancerSEEK," said Cohen. 

The Plants You Need in Your Bedroom to Beat Tight Chests, Insomnia and Colds

NASA scientists say, that you need to keep plants in your bedroom to beat different diseases, i.e. colds, tight chests, insomnia. Although plants look very beautiful in gardens but scientists maintain that we can reap plenty of health benefits of plants by bringing them in indoors. The researchers have long preached the benefits of house plants, that popping some greenery on your bedside table can boost your sleep and health. The plants may decrease your anxiety, depression, stress and helps with the removal of airborne pollutants. Elle Decor and The Joy of Plants delved into research from NASA and the American College to determine which houseplants are best suited to your bedroom - and the benefits they provide. Indoor plants can also elicit a number of physical health benefits, including the removal of airborne pollutants, both particulate and gaseous, which lead to better indoor air quality and associated improvements in physical health.

A review of the scientific evidence suggests that workers are more productive when their office is filled with greenery - and hospital patients are even thought to tolerate pain better if there is a plant on the ward. Perhaps most importantly, plants also trap and filter pollutants that are linked to thousands of deaths a year. The experts from the Royal Horticultural Society say that ‘bringing the outdoors inside’ can recreate some of the natural benefits lost in the process. Plants reduce stress levels, improve mood and filter polluted air, they say.  

Here’re top 10 lists of plants which helps to improve your health.

1. Areca Palm: Madagascan areca palm leads the way in efficiency at “mopping up” pollutants. Researchers say that the palm is excellent for anyone prone to colds and sinus problems because it releases moisture into the air. This, in turn, makes it much easier to breathe so will support you nod off quicker.

 2. Aloe Vera: This plant is very easy to keep and aesthetically pleasing in any home, the aloe vera plant has been named as one of the best plants for air purification by NASA. It releases oxygen incessantly throughout the night, making it an ideal bedroom addition. It also fights benzene which is found in detergents and plastics and formaldehyde (in varnishes and floor finishes) so helps keep the air super pure.

3. English Ivy: It is commonly grows up your house is actually perfect for your bedroom. Certainly, researchers at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology found that English ivy in particular removes 78 per cent of airborne mould in just 12 hours.

4. Dwarf date palm: This plant is hardy, drought-tolerant and long-lived and it's excellent at removing indoor air pollutants - particularly xylene.  

5. Boston Fern: This nice-looking plant has graced indoor landscapes since Victorian times - and for good reason. However, this plant ranks 9th in NASA’s list of 50 air-purifying plants, being particularly adept at removing formaldehyde.

6. Chinese evergreen: This has been dubbed the easiest houseplant because it grows well in low light and areas of the home where other plants won't grow like a dark bedroom. The best part about it is that it removes more toxins as time and exposure continues.

7. Peace lily: This beautiful plant can cleanse air and improve it by 60%. It also absorbs mould spores through its leaves and circulates them its roots to use as food.

8. Spider plant: This houseplant grows super quickly and can remove up to 90 per cent of the toxins from the air in your bedroom in just two days. It's especially great for people with dust allergies.

9. Lady palm: This houseplant is one of the most effective plants at cleansing the air of formaldehyde, ammonia, xylene and toluene.

10. Weeping fig: This houseplant is the best at beating pollutants that are emitted from carpeting and furniture such as formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene.

Magic Mushrooms Can Reset Brains of Depressed Patients

Depression is most common disease these days, everybody facing difficult situation in their life. Someone handles it brilliantly, however someone went in depression.  This is the situation where active ingredients in magic mushrooms psilocybin may have restore the effect on the brain that helps patients overcome depression. The participant who took part in this study voluntarily expresses a sense of their brains rebooting after just two psilocybin experience. Therefore, psychoactive substance in the first instance disintegrates the “default mode network” which is a highly-connected set of brain regions that are mostly active during introspection and when we are under stress. The researchers of Imperial college of London do the psilocybin experiences, and found those areas of brain reintegrated. The patients became more stable and felt immediate and continued relief from their depression. Thus, Imperial College London's head of psychedelic research, Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, and his team recruited 20 participants whose depression had been unresponsive to traditional antidepressants to try the substance that makes mushrooms magic. All but one subject did the psilocybin treatment twice.

Moreover, the participants experienced the come down from their “trips” they were interviewed by the scientists. Without being prompted or asked, several of them described the feeling of having their brains “rebooted”. One person compared their brain to a hard drive and it was like a defragmentation process. Things seemed to be working more proficiently afterwards. The Dr Carhart-Harris says that psilocybin’s effect on the default network to be like taking a system and provisionally scrambling it, then allowing it to reform. However, the brain scans taken during and after the psilocybin experience, the default mode networks of the patients became steadier. The after-effects of the psilocybin seemed to reach their maximum level five weeks later, but they saw continued improvement in the patients for as much as six months. What’s more, the benefits of the treatment started instantly, unlike conventional antidepressants that characteristically have to be in the system for weeks before patients notice improvements.

He said, to give people such a window of relief from their depression, after, in this case, just two experiences, really bodes well for the future. The patients did not seem to enter a hyper state after their psilocybin experiences. Hence, they don’t talk about or show loose, impractical thinking. They’re quire balanced, tranquil and normalized. The depressed persons are often quite fixed. They become quite rigidly pessimistic. You can’t just tell someone who’s depressed to cheer up it’s not under their control, almost like an addiction. They’ve really reinforced this way of thinking. Moreover, research has also shown that psilocybin and other psychedelics may have potential uses for treating alcoholism and addictions, but psychedelics are still illegal in most countries, and far from being approved for clinical use. If you really want to convince people, then to be able to show how it works is really important. This isn’t magic or some kind of wishful thinking on part of the researchers; sure we will see its effects. He cautions that this doesn’t mean that the experience of a psilocybin trip is ‘a walk in the park,’ or that running out and buying magic mushrooms will cure depression. The study was set up as a composite treatment, combining the drug with psychotherapy.

The drug works to open a window of chance, and if in that window provided to a relaxed setting and empathetic with them to guide them through the experience, it can help them to get better. I sometimes worry that people are going to hear about this and think oh I’m going to go off and find magic mushrooms and this will be the treatment of depression, and then they go out to the pub. That wouldn’t be good. Though, even in a supportive context, that about half of the participants had challenging or unfriendly experiences during their trips, but felt ‘relief’ afterwards. Dr Carhart-Harris compares using psilocybin with psychotherapy to physical exercise. If you want to get really fit, you might have to go for a bit of pain in order to get really fit. Maybe the same thing is true for mental health.

Would You Choose to Live Forever?

Scientists have made a discovery that could lead to a revolutionary drug that actually reverses ageing. Age-reversing pill that Nasa wants to give to astronauts on Mars will begin human trials within six months. The drug could assist damaged DNA to miraculously repair and even by protecting astronauts from solar radiation. A scientist’s team developed the drug after discovering a key signaling process in DNA repair and cell ageing. Therefore, during trials on mice, the researcher team found that the drug directly repaired DNA damage caused by radiation exposure or old age. However, the cells of the old mice were indistinguishable from the young mice after just one week of treatment,' said lead author Professor David Sinclair and his colleague Dr Lindsay Wu were winners in NASA's iTech competition in December 2016.

Hence, it is expected that human trials of the pill will begin within six months. This is the closest we’re to a safe and effective anti-ageing drug that's possibly only 3 to 5 years away from being on the market if the trials gets successful,' said Professor Sinclair. Moreover, the work has drawn the attention of Nasa, which is bearing in mind the big challenge of keeping its astronauts healthy during a four-year mission to Mars. Even thus on short missions, astronauts experience faster ageing from cosmic radiation, suffering from muscle softness, memory loss and other symptoms when they return. Although on a massive challenge of Mars trip, the situation would be far worse: 5% of the astronauts' cells would die and their chances of cancer would approach 100 per cent.

The Anti-Ageing Drug Trials

A team of researchers of University of New South Wales, experiments in mice, recommended a treatment is possible for DNA damage from ageing and radiation. So, it is so hopeful it has attracted the attention of Nasa scientists in their mission to reach Mars. Whereas our cells can naturally repair DNA damage, such as damage caused by the sun and their ability deteriorations with age. Moreover, the experts recognized that the call signaling molecule NAD+, which is naturally present in every cell in the body, has a crucial role in protein interactions that control DNA repair. Hence, treating mice with an NAD+ 'booster' called NMN improved their cells' ability to repair DNA damage caused by radiation exposure or old age. So, it is expected that human trials of NMN therapy will start within 6 months.

Furthermore, Dr Wu Said, we came in with a solution for a biological problem and it won the competition out of 300 entries. Cosmic radiation is not only an issue for astronauts, and all exposed to it aboard aircraft, with a London-Singapore-Melbourne flight roughly equivalent in radiation to a chest x-ray. Nevertheless in theory, the anti-ageing pill could mitigate any effects of DNA damage for recurrent flyers. Further, the other group that could benefit from this work is survivors of childhood cancers. Because 96% of childhood cancer survivors suffer a chronic illness by age 45, including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and cancers unrelated to the original cancer.  So, keeping in mind all of this adds up to the fact they have accelerated ageing, which is devastating, Dr Wu, said. So, it’d be great indeed to do something about that, and we have faith in we can with this molecule.  Source: Charismatic Planet

 

Major Asthma Breakthrough as Scientists Discovers Root Cause of the Condition and says a New Treatment is less than Five Years Away

Well, good news for Asthma patients, because scientists have claimed to found the root cause of asthma, a breakthrough which could pave the way for a new treatment within 5 years. As you know, millions of asthma sufferers are able to regulate their symptoms with inhalers, but a minority about 5% of patients does not respond to any treatment. At the moment scientists have found a protein within the airways which they have faith in triggers all asthma attacks. Unusually, a drug already exists which they think could deactivate the protein, raising hopefulness for a treatment which may be effective for any asthma patient. 

The team, which is led by Cardiff University, has already revealed that the drug works in mice and in human tissue samples in the laboratory. They’ve now designed the first clinical trials, which could start in coming two years. Professor Daniela Riccardi said (Lead Investigator): “Our findings are extremely electrifying.” Though, the discovery came quite by chance when Professor Riccardi, “formerly a bones specialist”, switched from the study of osteoporosis to the study of the lungs 5 years ago. She realized that a protein that triggers the progress of calcium within bones also plays a role in the airways. Moreover, tests revealed that asthmatics had far higher levels of the protein and it is called calcium sensing receptor or CaSR than healthy people. Therefore, when an asthmatic breathes in triggers due to dust, smoke, or pollen, the CaSR molecules cause the speedy increase of calcium within the cells of the lung tissue. 

The additional calcium makes the cells contract, making the airways spasm, triggering an asthma attack. Thus, for the first time we’ve found a link between airways inflammation, which can be caused by environmental triggers - such as allergens, cigarette smoke and car fumes – and airways twitchiness in allergic asthma. It makes the cells much more sensitive to the asthma triggers and which then make an attack much more likely. Because, the drug already exists that can disable the CaSR protein, meaning it could be obtainable to patients as soon as clinical trials are complete. The medication called a “calcilytic” was developed some where fifteen years ago to knock out the same protein in osteoporosis.

Though the drug was believed to be safe, and it was not effective for osteoporosis patients. However, initials tests in mice and human tissue showed encouraging results as an asthma treatment. Nevertheless, the team, which included scientists from King’s College London and the Mayo Clinic in the United States, believe to use the drug in a nebuliser, in which it is turned into a mist and breathed straight into the lungs.  A few courses of treatment would be adequate to stop asthma attacks from recurring, they believed. The doubtful it might also have a role in tackling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease “COPD” and chronic bronchitis, for which there is presently no effective treatment. 

Furthermore, Prof Riccardi said: ‘If we can prove that “calcilytics” are safe when administered directly to the lung in people, then in 5 years we could be in a very good position to treat patients and potentially stop asthma from happening in the first place. Dr Samantha Walker, director of research at Asthma United Kingdom, who supported in fund the research, added: This is without an enormously exciting discovery, which will enables us, for the first time, to tackle the underlying causes of asthma symptoms. Only 5% people with asthma don’t respond to existing treatments so research breakthroughs could be life changing for hundreds of thousands of people. 

Moreover, if this research proves effective we may be just a few years away from a new treatment for asthma, and we instantly need further investment to take it further through clinical trials. Asthma research is chronically underfunded; there’ve only been a handful of new treatments progressed in the last 50 years so the significance of investment in research like this is absolutely indispensable.’ Source: Dailymail

 

Anaemia is much more susceptible condition in women than men

Iron-deficiency (dietary) anaemia is by far the most common type and women are much more susceptible to the condition than men. In fact in one recent study, 10% of all women between the ages of 15 and 44 were said to be on the threshold of this condition, due to excessive blood (and iron) loss during menstruation. A loss of iron in the blood produces a whole range of non-specific symptoms tiredness, breathlessness, giddiness, pallor, weakness in the limbs and often an overwhelming lethargy because it depletes the amount of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood corpuscles. Hemoglobin is responsible for unnourishing and regenerating every cell in the body and for producing the characteristic “redness” of the blood. Many cases of anaemia present two important diagnostic clues. These’re nails that are spoon-shaped and curl up or downwards and a lack of color either beneath the nail or in the normally richly supplied conjunctive tissue inside the lower eyelid. Although iron deficiency anaemia is often caused by menstrual blood loss (one of the drawbacks of the IUD is a heightened risk of anaemia in some women due to an excessively heavy menstrual flow), but it may also be caused by other types of external or internal bleeding, such as a silent and slow bleeding peptic ulcer. 

If you suspect you have anaemia or are feeling excessively tired, you should see your doctor. You should not dose yourself with iron supplements because if you do have the condition, commercial iron bolstered multivitamin pills will not contain enough iron to rectify the balance. If you do not have the condition, too much iron can be as bad for you as too little as it interferes with the absorption of other essential minerals principally zinc. For this reason, iron supplements are no longer automatically given as a routine part of ante-natal practice during pregnancy. If you want to safeguard yourself against iron-deficiency anaemia, incorporate a dark green leafy vegetable, such as broccoli, into your diet together with a helping of liver, kidney or heart each week. Eating a vitamin C rich fruit or vegetable with your meals will also help as this vitamin has been shown to aid iron absorption in the body.

A second, rarer, type of anaemia is known as pernicious anaemia and is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B12 or more commonly, an inability to absorb it from the diet. As B12 is found only in foods of animal origin (meat, fish, milk etc.), strict vegetarians, or vegans, should always take additional B12. Supplements are now available in synthetic vegetable form. An inability to absorb the vitamin is hereditary and seems to occur most often in middle age, particularly among those who are blue eyed and white or fair hair. Once diagnosed, the condition can be remedied by giving regular doses of the vitamin through injection directly into the bloodstream.   Source: Charismatic Planet

Glaucoma is an Eye Affliction Caused by Disturbance of Fluid Balance in Eyeball.

Glaucoma is an eye affliction caused by a disturbance of the fluid balance with the eyeball and a consequent increase of pressure inside the eye. If allowed to persist, glaucoma may damage vision by pressing against the optic nerve. One of the main symptoms of glaucoma is a tunnel vision. Well, in other words, an increasingly restricted field of vision, even though you can still focus perfectly well. Other warning signs and symptoms which may or may not be present are headaches and seeing auras or haloes around bright objects. Because glaucoma is an age associated defect it is rarely seen in people under 35 and because it ca be absolutely symptomless in the  early stages by the time it is diagnosed medially, the process has often gone so far that the sufferer can be classified as blind for health insurance purposes. You should have an eye test at about the age of 45 to check that you have not got it. This is particularly important if there is a history of it in your family. Once detected glaucoma can never be cured but it can be controlled in one of three ways; medically through prescription of certain drugs, surgically, in order to release pressure inside the eye, or through the use of prescription eye drops which use a drug called pilocarpine to constrict the pupil, so making the wearing of glasses unnecessary.  Source: Charismatic Planet

Acne Can be an Embarrasing Problem

This guidelines is intended to give you a basic understanding of the way in which your body functions and occasionally, malfunctions. It is also designed to help you to relieve some of the more common aches and pains by giving simple and practical notes on self-help. It is not, however, intended to replace your doctor. No amounts of medical knowledge gleaned from reading books can replace the deep understanding that a qualified doctor gains from years of training and experience. So use this advice for interest and for reference and if any doubt, consult your doctor.

Acne Can be an Embarrassing Problem and Difficult to Treat

In the normal course of events, sebum, made in the sebaceous glands deep down in the skin, travel up the hair follicle to emerge through a fine pore on the surface. There, it emulsifies with sweat to fulfill its vital double role of lubricating and protecting the skin. Therefore if the sebum hardens and becomes trapped just beneath the surface of the skin, or if the dead epidermal cells stick together and clog the opening of the pore a small pimple or blackhead will appear.

Acne Can be an Embarrassing Problem and Difficult to Treat

If the blockage occurs deeper down, inflammation and primary bacterial infection combine to produce a much larger and angrier spot. Both are acne. The more severe inflammatory types of acne are thought to be caused by the male hormone, androgen, circulating in the bloodstream and causing the sebaceous glands to secrete grease. Nothing is demonstrably “wrong” in a hormonal sense. Some people are simply more sensitive to the hormone than others. This sensitivity will depend on familial inheritance and skin type.

Although diet has no direct causal link with acne, an imbalanced diet can certainly aggravate it, so too can stress overzealous self-treatment and squeezing. The first rule is to leave your skin alone. If you are a habitual picker or squeezer, cut the fingernails short and watch your skin improve. Wash your skin twice daily with an antiseptic or medicated soap, use topical creams and lotions sparingly and remember that there’s absolutely no virtue in fanaticism. Dirt and oil on top of the skin have nothing to do with any but the smallest of pimples it is the oil trapped beneath that is to blame.

If you’ve persistent or severe acne, or are distressed about the condition, see your doctor. Acne can be treated often extremely effectively with a course of antibiotics, prescribed over a period of months or even years. It works by counteracting the effects of the problem, not by curing it. It may be as many as three months before a noticeable improvement in the condition of the skin can be seen.

Topical acne treatments range from mild antiseptic lotions (astringents) to stronger more abrasive chemical solutions that “strip” off the dead layer of skin cells to unblock the pore and free the sebum. Lotions containing benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid or retinoic acid (vitamin A) are probably the most effective. However while they can be valuable in treating superficial non-inflammatory acne, they’ll not help more severe types and may even aggravate them. In addition if these lotions are used too often or applied over enthusiastically, they may produce redness, dryness and excessive irritation Cis Retinoic acid (at present only available in the USA), taken orally as a course of tablets, works by cutting down sebaceous activity and can be very effective. Its disadvantage, however, is that it tends to dry up the skin. Common side effects are chapped lips and general flaking and dryness.

In the future, medical treatment of the more severe types of acne may involve regulating the hormone levels responsible for producing the condition, either by prescribing an anti-androgen, usually cyproterone acetate, or additional oestrogen, depending on the patient. While effective in combating and protecting again acne, the drug is at present being combined with an oestrogen for a contraceptive effective. Risk factors on ovulation and pregnancy have still to be assessed. 

 Source: CP