Motor Neurone Drug
Riluzole is a new drug that stops damage to nerves that control movement. It is thought that a build up of glutamic acid harms the nerves by overexciting them and this drug prevents this build up. Professor Hawking is one of the individuals affected by this motor neurone disease which leaves the intellect intact but gradually paralyses the person so that they cant even speak or eat in the end.
Migraine Treatment
Most patients obtained relief from migraine attacks in as little as 5 minutes by a new lidocaine spray with just one or two sprays directed to the back of the nose . It affects the spheno-palatine ganglion and gives relief while longer acting medicines come into play. It is a very big advance as previously migraine could go on for days.
South Asian men die before smokers
Asian males from the subcontinent are dying of heart disease at a very young age. The lack of moderate alcohol can explain some of this , however their death rate is even higher than that of white smokers and can be mostly easily explained by the lack of excercise in this group as smokers who excercise have a lower death rate than non smokers who do not.
Liquid bone
French scientists have made a liquid bone which when injected into fracture sites solidifies in just 12 minutes and is as strong as normal bone. Now athletes with broken leg bones can be back up and running in no time.
Fake fat crisps on sale
Fried crisps made from the fake fat olestra which has no calories have been on sale in four cities in the mid west and have been well like by cusotmers. The majority of american women are now overweight with more than a third obese and cooking with olestra might help in combating obesity the biggest disease in the Western world.
Cure for baldness
German scientists report that in trials a lotion made from fish cartilage regrew hair in over 90% of bald men even in areas where there had been no hair for many years . More details when available.
Antibiotics to prevent heart disease
Doctors have found that almost 90% of people with fat deposits in the heart blood arteries ( atheroma) have antibodies in their blood suggestive of infection by a bacterium called Chlamydia Pneuominae . This is truly life saving news for many middle aged men from the subcontinent. It is known that non smoking and moderate alcohol drinking confers a lot of protection from heart disease but even so many vegeterian , non smoking teetotaler Asian men are dropping dead from heart attacks in the prime of life. In fact this kind of heart disease is by far the biggest killer of Asian men. If they all badgered their doctors for a week's course of a cheap and effective antibiotic like Erythromicin which can kill this bug they might extend their life considerably.
Heartburn and Stomach ulcers are also mostly caused by a bug called helicobacter and that too is curable with just one week of three antibiotics -amoxyl , flagyl and omperazole
Livostin is a new treatment for topical ie eyes and nose hay fever or allergic conjuncivitis and rhinits which works in less than 10 minutes compared to hours for previous treatments. Soon we may have an update on some exciting breathing treatment for asthma.
Cancer Vaccines
Doctors in Cambridge , England have developed a vaccine against human papilloma virus which causes cervical cancer. Many women with advanced widespread cancer became completely free when injected with the vaccine. They have stayed healthy over the last two years. The next step would be to use it for all women with advanced cancer and then vaccinate all women , ending the need for cervical smears.
People with advanced melanoma have also been cured. A genetically engineered virus carries the gene for interleukin 2 into melanoma cells in a test tube. These are then irradiated and injected back into the patient. There they express the interluekin2 protein which causes killer T cells to attack them and other melanoma cells. Readers should note that these are experimental techniques and the reports are just coming out. Irradiating samples of all cancers and then injecting them back into the patient should expose sites on the membranes where the bodie's white cells could attack. Maybe people with metastatic cancers would volunteer for such experiments.
Anti Fat/Cholestrol Gene
Doctors have made an amazing discovery that some Italians because they carry a gene which makes a special protein called Alipoprotein milano can eat all the high cholestrol and fat food they want , have extremely high levels of cholestrol and still never get heart disease ! The protein breaks down harmful cholestrol. Putting cells with these genes in membranes and implanting them into people should reverse atherosclerosis and save millions from heart attacks.
Viruses that cure disease
Mice infected with a fatal dose of E Coli bacteria have been saved after scientists injected them with viruses called bacteriophages ( bacteria eaters) . Viruses like these could lead to treatment for multiple resistant staph , TB and other diseases where antibiotics no longer work.
Cocaine antibody
Scientists have managed to get the immune system to make antibodies against cocaine. when the addict next takes cocaine nothing happens because the antibodies mop up the chemicals . Similar antibodies can be made against other drugs like heoin and nicotine .
Alcohol Cure
The drug naltrexone taken daily has been shown to be twice as effective in curing alcohol as counselling on its own.Antabuse is another drug that is very efective but can cause violent headaches and other side effects if a person drinks while on it.
Immortality at last ??!!
Scientists have managed to cripple the HIV virus which has caused so much human misery - by removing the dangerous genes for reproduction . They can then attach other genes eg haemophilia gene to the virus and use the ability of the virus to penetrate the nuclear membrane of the human cell and insert itself into the chromosomes ,to carry the good genes into human cells and correct haemophilia.
There is no reason why the virus should not carry extra anti-ageing genes recently discovered and bits of telemores which usually are lost with ageing to make us live for a very very long time.
Why dont we get mad sheep disease?
The genes which code for the prion protein are much more similar in cows and humans than sheep and humans.Because the resulting shapes of the proteins are similar it is easier for mad cow prion protein to distort and cause disease in humans. Three more young people under the age of 29 ; 2 in Kent and one in Glasgow have contacted mad cow disease raising fears of an impending epidemic.
Watching TV makes kids fat.
Those who watch more than 5 hours a day are more than 4 times likely to become fat. TV and computers should be restricted to no more than three hours a day.
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Cancer cells neutralised.
Cancer cells release proteins which slot on to receptor sites on normal cells telling them to reproduce. Having identified these proteins scientists are now planning to make antibodies to block them.
Nerve glued back
Doctors have managed to glue back arm nerves torn from the spinal cord in injuries . After a few months new fibres grow in the fibre tunnels , restoring movement to the arm.
Glass coating for teeth
American scientists have made a harmless glass like material applied in toothpaste which coats tooth surfaces and prevents decay and exposure of sensitive nerve endings.
Live to 150
Scientists have found the gene responsible for delaying ageing , it is called helicase and helps the DNA strand to uncoil. In some children this gene is defective , DNA does not uncoil properly , mistakes happen and they get old and die at age 30. They are hoping to insert anti ageing genes into cells carried there by a form of hiv like virus - a technique pioneered by Dr Verma in America . This gene will make the anti ageing protein . Giving extra anti ageing genes could make us live to a healthy 150 or more.
Criminals lack zinc
American studies have shown that most criminals lack zinc and to a lesser extent vit B1 and C in their diet because these are not present in junk fast food. Trials have started to see if supplements could change behaviour. A crime free world from bread fortified with zinc is an enticing concept.
Thinking articifial limbs
Dr Saeed Zahedi at Blatchfords has won the Prince of Wales award this year for inventing a new form of artificial limb with an onboard computer . It controls air pressure in a piston built into the limb and makes the moving action much smoother. Over 1000 people worldwide have benefited .
Genes to blame
Twin studies have shown that osteoarthrits thought to be due to overuse is actually a genetic illness as is age related obesity - this one due to a defect in Chromosome 7.
Organs for all
Scientists have manged to insert a small chromsome containing the genes to make human proteins into pig egg cells. When these pigs grow their cells make a human protein coating and so are not recognised as foreign. This discovery should make heart , liver and perhaps kidney organs availaible for human transplants and end the current shortage.
Anti viral sugaoids
These chemicals are sugars where one of the oxygen atom has been replaced by nitrogen . The viral or cancer cell incorporates it into the membrane and this alters the structure and it gets distorted. HIV virus has a very large sugar coating and so could be killed by this method. It affects growing cells as well and so many trials are needed.
Overwork kills
Danish studies indicate that bus drivers on busy routes and working longer hours die earlier.
Light cuts out cancer cells
British scientists have invented a new device about the size of a toaster and costing only $7000 ( one twentieth of a laser ) which can shine a bright light (non laser) on to areas of skin and other cancers which are coated with a light sensitising cream containing 5 levaleunic acid . A 45 min exposure kills the cancer cells leaving the skin unscarred . 80-100% cure rates have been reported with just one treatment.
Cant Catch Aids
A man in a high risk group has not caught aids in ten years despite taking no precautions. The white cells do not allow the aids virus to attach to the cell ( in test tube experiments ) in his case. Scientists are trying to find the protein that does this and see if it can be duplicated.
Alcohol Genes
Children whose parents have been alcoholic are more likely to become alcoholics themselves. Strangely enough they are the ones who do NOT get drunk even after drinking large amounts in the teenage years at one sitting. An attempt is being made to find the genes for this susceptibily.
More mad cow deaths
Two more young people under the age of 40 have this week been reported to have come down with mad cow disease. There is fear that this may be the start of an epidemic of cases.
Dementia can be very hard to diagnose in the early stages. Now doctors have pinpointed the damage in the hippocampus a small part of the brain which helps to store memories. There is also reduced blood flow to the mid back area of the brain - the parieto -temporal area . These changes can be identified by CT and modified CT scans
6 hour cure for heroin addiction
Trials are now taking place in Britain of a Spanish method of curing drug addiction. Patients are anaesthetised and given naloxone which causes withdrawl symptoms (nausea , stomach cramps etc.) but which the patient is not aware of and is then kept sedated for 6 hours. He then has to take naloxone tablets daily for a year. With this method over 90% stay drug free.
Cows which were fed ground sheep products in the early 80s went on to get mad cow disease ( a form of sheep scrapies) which by deforming a brain protein causes holes to form in the brain . Humans who ate these cows are now believed to be at risk of getting the illness - 10 young people have died so far. Main symptoms are tremor ,loss of memory , brain failiure and eventual death -there is no treatment . Since beef products are used in making biscuits etc. vegeterians are not safe.the entire heerd of cows 11m may have to be destroyed at a cost of £20 billion.
Resistant TB
The UN WHO has declared an emergency about the rise of a drug resistant form of TB. Usually TB can be cured with $100 worth of drugs but the new form can cost $100,000. In New York apparently people are being forcefully isolated. The disease has spread to London and other areas and an estimated 300 million people it is thought will die from it in the next ten years .
Liquid Bone
Doctors have invented this new form which can be injected under Xray control into the fracture site and hardens in less than an hour and the person can use his leg. It eliminates the need for screws etc.
Artificial Cartilage
Taking a tiny piece from the patient and then growing it in test tubes the cartilage can be reapplied to the joint site . Hip and knee operations may soon be a thing of the past.
Vitamin E cuts risk of heart disease
400 units of this vitamin after food is reported to cut the risk of heart attacks ( an epidemic in Asians ) by an incredible 80%. Moderate alcohol drinking (wine or spirits) not more than 3 units per day also cuts the risk of heart attacks fivefold.