WHO raises alarm against increasing incidence of hypertension

BANGALORE: The World Health Organization is raising an alarm about high blood pressure on World Health Day, 2013. High blood pressure or hypertension kills nearly 1.5 million people every year in South-East Asia making it the single-most important risk factor for non communicable diseases like heart attack and stroke. Between 2011 and 2015 the cumulative loss in productivity associated with non-communicable diseases in low and middle income countries is projected to be US$ 7.3 trillion.

Most of these deaths can be prevented via a healthy lifestyle, early detection and treatment. Hypertension is a silent killer because many people do not realize that they have it or are reluctant to start treatment on time, putting them at risk of complications. It is treatable through medication. Preventing high blood pressure must be a public health, social, economic and development priority. This is only possible through political will and increased public awareness.
"Every individual has the power to prevent high blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle- eating a balanced diet, reducing salt intake, regular exercise, avoiding harmful use of alcohol, quitting tobacco and checking their blood pressure regularly" said Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia.

"Governments need to create health promoting environments that enable people to adopt healthy lifestyles. Regulations need to be in place to decrease the amount of salt in packaged food and make healthier foods affordable and accessible" he added.
Preventing, detecting and treating hypertension early is cheaper than interventions such as cardiac bypass surgery or dialysis that may be needed if the condition is diagnosed late.

Acknowledging this as a serious global issue, in September 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the political declaration of the high-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, and committed governments to a series of actions. Member States have agreed to nine global targets for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, which include reducing the prevalence of hypertension by 25% by 2025.

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Zapping brain with magnets may cure cocaine addiction

WASHINGTON: Stimulating a certain part of the brain with magnets can wipe away cocaine addiction, scientists claim.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have shown that by stimulating a part of the brain with laser light, they can wipe away addictive behaviour in rats - or conversely turn non-addicted rats into compulsive cocaine seekers.

"When we turn on a laser light in the prelimbic region of the prefrontal cortex, the compulsive cocaine seeking is gone," said Antonello Bonci, scientific director of the intramural research programme at the NIH's National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), where the work was done.

The study demonstrates the central role the prefrontal cortex plays in compulsive cocaine addiction. It also suggests a new therapy that could be tested immediately in humans, said Billy Chen of NIDA, the lead author of the study.

Any new human therapy would not be based on using lasers, but would most likely rely on electromagnetic stimulation outside the scalp, in particular a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), researchers said.

To test whether altering the activity in this brain region could impact addiction, Chen and his colleagues employed a technique called optogenetics to shut the brain activity on and off using a laser.

First they took light-sensitive proteins called rhodopsins and used genetic engineering to insert them into neurons in the rat's prefrontal cortex. Activating this region with a laser tuned to the rhodopsins turned the nerve cells on and off.

Turning on these cells wiped out the compulsive behaviour, while switching them off turned the non-addicted ones into addicted, researchers found.

What's exciting, said Bonci, is that there is a way to induce a similar activation of the prelimbic cortex in people through a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which applies an external electromagnetic field to the brain and has been used as a treatment for symptoms of depression.

The study was published in the journal Nature.

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New radiation therapy puts cancer into remission in mice

WASHINGTON: Scientists have developed a new form of radiation therapy that successfully put cancer into remission in mice, without producing harmful side-effects of conventional chemo and radiation cancer therapies.

Scientists from the University of Missouri found that mice treated with the radiation therapy showed no signs of cancer afterwards.

"Since the 1930s, scientists have sought success with a cancer treatment known as boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT)," said lead researcher Professor M Frederick Hawthorne.

"Our team at MU's International Institute of Nano and Molecular Medicine finally found the way to make BNCT work by taking advantage of a cancer cell's biology with nanochemistry," Hawthorne said.

Cancer cells grow faster than normal cells and in the process absorb more materials than normal cells. Hawthorne's team took advantage of that fact by getting cancer cells to take in and store a boron chemical designed by Hawthorne.

When those boron-infused cancer cells were exposed to neutrons, a subatomic particle, the boron atom shattered and selectively tore apart the cancer cells, sparing neighbouring healthy cells.

The physical properties of boron made Hawthorne's technique possible. A particular form of boron will split when it captures a neutron and release lithium, helium and energy.

Like pool balls careening around a billiards table, the helium and lithium atoms penetrate the cancer cell and destroy it from the inside without harming the surrounding tissues.

"A wide variety of cancers can be attacked with our BNCT technique," Hawthorne said.

"The technique worked excellently in mice. We are ready to move on to trials in larger animals, then people. However, before we can start treating humans, we will need to build suitable equipment and facilities. When it is built, MU will have the first radiation therapy of this kind in the world," Hawthorne said.

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Are you prone to putting on kilos? Your breath can tell

WASHINGTON: The content of your breath may indicate how susceptible you are to weight gain, according to a new study led by an Indian-origin researcher. People whose breath has high concentrations of both hydrogen and methane gases are more likely to have a higher body mass index and percentage of body fat, according to the study.

The combination of the two gases signals the presence of a micro-organism that may contribute to obesity.

A person exhales larger amounts of hydrogen and methane gases when a microorganism called Methanobrevibacter smithii (M smithii) colonises the digestive tract. Previous research has shown that M smithii is the predominant organism in the human gastrointestinal tract responsible for methane production.

"Normally, the collection of micro-organisms living in the digestive tract is balanced and benefits humans by helping them convert food into energy," said lead author Ruchi Mathur, director of the Outpatient Diabetes Treatment and Education Center in the Division of Endocrinology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.

"When M smithii becomes overabundant, it may alter the balance in a way that makes the human host more likely to gain weight and accumulate fat," Mathur said.

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Fish oil boosts immune system

WASHINGTON: Until now, scientists were not entirely sure about fish oil's immune enhancing effects, which is widely believed to help prevent disease by reducing inflammation.

A new study helps provide clarity on this by showing that DHA-rich fish oil enhances B cell activity, a white blood cell, challenging the notion that fish oil is only immunosuppressive.

This discovery is important as it shows that fish oil does not necessarily reduce the overall immune response to lower inflammation, possibly opening the doors for the use of fish oil among those with compromised immune systems.

"Fish oil may have immune enhancing properties that could benefit immunocompromised individuals," Jenifer Fenton, Ph.D., M.P.H., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, said.

To make this discovery, researchers used two groups of mice.

One group was fed a control diet, and the other was fed a diet supplemented with DHA-rich fish oil for five weeks.

B cells were harvested from several tissues and then stimulated in culture.

Researchers then looked for markers of B cell activation on the cell surface, B cell membrane changes, and B cell cytokine production.

They found that DHA-enriched fish oil enhanced B cell activation and select antibody production, which may actually aid immune responses associated with pathogen clearance, while possibly dampening the totality of the inflammatory response.

The research is published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.

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World's first solar plane to fly across US

HOUSTON: A first of its kind ultra-lightweight plane powered completely by the sun is set to fly coast-to-coast this spring.

The Solar Impulse plane will stop in Dallas city in Texas during its historic cross-country journey that begins on May 1, its creators announced today.

The plane, which requires zero fuel and relies solely on solar panels and battery power, would be the world's first plane powered purely by solar energy.

The two Swiss pilots of the plane, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, want to complete a flight from Moffett Field to New York City, after spending 10 years designing it.

It is expected to arrive in the Big Apple by early July and will stop in Phoenix (Arizona), Dallas-Ft. Worth, Washington DC and either Nashville (Tennessee), Atlanta (Georgia) or St. Louis along the way.

"It carries only one pilot and no passengers, but it carries a lot of message," Piccard said.

"Today we can't imagine having a solar plane with 200 passengers. But in 1903 it was exactly the same," he said, noting the sense of impossibility that surrounded the first airplane flight that took place that year.

"We don't know what's going to happen in the future, but we have to start and see where technology takes us," he said.

The US flight is the latest step towards the ultimate goal of Solar Impulse team; that of making a flight around the world by 2015.

The plane uses creative engineering and physics to harness the sun's energy for power even after the sun sets.

It has a wingspan equivalent to a 747 jetliner, the weight of a station-wagon, and the power needs of a small scooter.

The solar panels across its wings harness power from the sun during the day and lithium-polymer batteries store that energy for overnight trips.

A carbon-fibre material formed in a honeycomb structure makes up the bulk of the plane, which allows for its feather-weight.

In 2010, the Solar Impulse plane completed a 26-hour overnight flight and in 2012 flew from Switzerland to Morocco without any fuel.

To fly around the world, the team needs to fly for five days continuously, which the current plane isn't equipped for.

They would also need to find more efficient batteries and motors, as well as improve the plane's reliability, Borschberg said.

"You have no time to do maintenance and no possibility to change parts," he said of an around-the-world trip.

Piccard is also known for his flying adventures: in 1999 he travelled around the world in a hot air balloon.

In its current form, however, the Solar Impulse is far from having any major practical application. The plane travels at a leisurely cruising speed that is lower than the highway speed limit in the United States and can hold just one passenger in a cramped cockpit.

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​Shakespeare was a tax evader & black marketeer?

LONDON: Bad Bard! William Shakespeare was repeatedly dragged before the courts and fined for illegally hoarding food during times of shortage, and even threatened with jail for evading his taxes, a new study on the famous English playwright has claimed.

"There was another side to Shakespeare besides the brilliant playwright — as a ruthless businessman who did all he could to avoid taxes, maximize profits at others' expense and exploit the vulnerable — while also writing plays about their plight to entertain them," said Jayne Archer, a researcher in Renaissance literature at Aberystwyth University.

She worked with Richard Marggraf Turley, a professor in the department, and Howard Thomas, a professor of plant science , to study the Bard of Avon's 'other' life as a businessman and owner of arable farmland and pasture at a time when Europe was suffering famines, The Sunday Times reported.

The team found documents in the court and tax archives showing he was repeatedly dragged before the courts and fined for illegally stockpiling food and was threatened with jail for evading tax payments.

"Over a 15-year period Shakespeare purchased and stored grain, malt and barley for resale at inflated prices to neighbours and local tradesmen," they said.

"In February 1598 he was prosecuted for holding 80 bushels of malt or corn during a time of shortage. He pursued those who could not pay him in full for these staples and used the profits to further his own moneylending activities.

"Profits were channelled into land purchases. He also acquired tithes on local produce, including "corn, grain and hay" , allowing him to cream off the profits from others' manual labour," they said. "By combining both illegal and legal activities , Shakespeare was able to retire in 1613 as the largest property owner in his home town, Stratford- upon-Avon ," the researchers added.

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​Smoking right after waking up raises cancer risk

WASHINGTON: Smoking a cigarette immediately after waking up in the morning may increase the risk of developing lung or oral cancer, a new study has warned.

"We found that smokers who consume cigarettes immediately after waking have higher levels of NNAL — a metabolite of the tobaccospecific carcinogen NNK — in their blood than smokers who refrain from smoking a half hour or more after waking , regardless of how many cigarettes they smoke per day," said Steven Branstetter, assistant professor of biobehavioural health in Pennsylvania State University.

According to Branstetter, other research has shown that NNK induces lung tumours in several rodent species . Levels of NNAL in the blood can therefore predict lung cancer risk in rodents as well as in humans. In addition , NNAL levels are stable in smokers over time, and a single measurement can accurately reflect an individual's exposure.

Branstetter and his colleague Joshua Muscat, professor of public health sciences , examined data on 1,945 smoking adult participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who had provided urine samples for analysis of NNAL. These participants also had provided information about their smoking behaviour, including how soon they typically smoked after waking.

The researchers found that around 32% of the participants they examined smoked their first cigarette of the day within 5 minutes of waking; 31% smoked within 6 to 30 minutes of waking; 18% smoked within 31 to 60 minutes of waking; and 19% smoked more than one hour after waking.

In addition, the researchers found that the NNAL level in the participants' blood was correlated with the participants' age, the age they started smoking and their gender. "Most importantly, we found that NNAL level was highest among people who smoked the soonest upon waking, regardless of the frequency of smoking and other factors that predict NNAL concentrations," Branstetter said.

"People who smoke sooner after waking inhale more deeply and more thoroughly, which could explain the higher levels of NNAL in their blood."

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Chinese herbs may reduce hot flashes

NEW YORK: Women taking a Chinese herbal formula experienced less than half the number of menopausal hot flashes they had before the treatment, according to a new study from Hong Kong.

Among women taking an herbal mix called Er-xian decoction (EXD), the frequency of daily hot flashes dropped by 62 percent, compared to a 52-percent drop seen among women taking a placebo. "It's a modest effect, but not a zero effect," said Katherine Newton, a researcher who has studied herbal menopause therapies at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.

Newton, who was not involved in the research, said she'd want to see more long-term studies demonstrating that these herbs are safe before she would recommend them to women, but that the current study makes EXD look promising as an alternative menopause treatment.

Hormone replacement therapy is considered the most effective therapy for menopause-related symptoms, but potential health risks from hormones have women looking for alternatives, said Yao Tong, a professor at the University of Hong Kong and one of the authors of the new study.

Er-xian decoction (EXD) contains compounds extracted from the roots, stems or leaves of six Chinese herbs, processed into granules then packaged in sachets to be made into a tea.

Although previous studies have found that EXD can help reduce hot flashes, they were not high quality experiments, the researchers write in the medical journal Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society.

To get a more reliable assessment of how well EXD works, they asked 101 women in their 40s and 50s, who were at or near menopause and experiencing symptoms, to drink an herbal formula twice a day for 12 weeks. Half of the women drank a 15 gram dose of EXD, while the other half drank a fake remedy that consisted of tea, caramel and an herbal compound called gardenin. For two weeks prior to the treatment, the women logged their hot flashes.

Those in the EXD group reported an average of 5.8 hot flashes each day, and those in the other group experienced five daily. After the treatment, the number of hot flashes dropped to 2.2 in the EXD group and 2.5 in the other group. Three months after the treatment ended, hot flashes stayed put at 2.2 a day for women who had drank EXD, while they went up slightly to 2.9 a day for women who had drank the placebo.

"Menopausal flushing is notoriously responsive to fluctuations and placebo responses in clinical trials, yet they have rigorously demonstrated an improvement in favor of active treatment" with Er-xian decoction, said Dr. Alan Bensoussan, the director of the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Western Sydney, in an email to Reuters Health.

The severity of the hot flashes also declined to a greater degree in the EXD group, from a three out of four at the beginning of the study to a 1.6 at the end.
Among women who drank the fake remedy, hot flash severity went from three to 2.3 on a four-point scale. The trend continued three months later, with hot flash severity returning to baseline for women who drank the placebo, but only rising slightly to a 2.1 for women who drank EXD.

"It's a small effect, but a measurable effect," said Newton, who was not part of the research.

The researchers did not compare EXD to other menopause treatments, so it's unclear how it would perform compared to them. But Newton told Reuters Health that the results put EXD "in the ball park of other studies of non-hormonal therapies that aren't as effective as hormones but do show some promise." Tong and her colleagues write in their report that traditional Chinese medicine views menopause symptoms as related to deficiencies in kidney yin and yang, which regulate the function of the body. "The composition of EXD includes herbs for enhancing both kidney yin and kidney yang to treat menopausal symptoms," they write.

Tong also said in an email to Reuters Health that her earlier research has shown EXD increases hormonal and anti-oxidant functions in the body. Er Xian preparations are available online, costing about $30 for 42, 2-gram packets.

The problem, Bensoussan pointed out, is that the chemical composition can change from batch to batch and from supplier to supplier.

Tong said a company has shown interest in developing the formulation she and her colleagues used in the study.

However, Bensoussan, who was not involved in the research, noted, "The researchers have not reported accurate chemical profiling (definition) of the formula based on key putative bioactives or selected chemical markers in the formula. This is important for its reproducibility and for long term use in the marketplace."

SOURCE: Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society, online February 25, 2013.

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Morning smoking may up cancer risk: Study

WASHINGTON: Smoking a cigarette immediately after waking up in the morning may increase the risk of developing lung or oral cancer, a new study has warned.

"We found that smokers who consume cigarettes immediately after waking have higher levels of NNAL - a metabolite of the tobacco-specific carcinogen NNK - in their blood than smokers who refrain from smoking a half hour or more after waking, regardless of how many cigarettes they smoke per day," said Steven Branstetter, assistant professor of biobehavioural health in Pennsylvania State University.

According to Branstetter, other research has shown that NNK induces lung tumours in several rodent species. Levels of NNAL in the blood can therefore predict lung cancer risk in rodents as well as in humans.

In addition, NNAL levels are stable in smokers over time, and a single measurement can accurately reflect an individual's exposure.

Branstetter and his colleague Joshua Muscat, professor of public health sciences, examined data on 1,945 smoking adult participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who had provided urine samples for analysis of NNAL.

These participants also had provided information about their smoking behaviour, including how soon they typically smoked after waking.

The researchers found that around 32 per cent of the participants they examined smoked their first cigarette of the day within 5 minutes of waking; 31 per cent smoked within 6 to 30 minutes of waking; 18 per cent smoked within 31 to 60 minutes of waking; and 19 per cent smoked more than one hour after waking.

In addition, the researchers found that the NNAL level in the participants' blood was correlated with the participants' age, the age they started smoking, their gender and whether or not another smoker lived in their home, among other factors.

"Most importantly, we found that NNAL level was highest among people who smoked the soonest upon waking, regardless of the frequency of smoking and other factors that predict NNAL concentrations," Branstetter said.

"We believe these people who smoke sooner after waking inhale more deeply and more thoroughly, which could explain the higher levels of NNAL in their blood, as well as their higher risk of developing oral or lung cancer.

"As a result, time to first cigarette might be an important factor in the identification of high-risk smokers and in the development of interventions targeted toward early-morning smokers," Branstetter said.

The study was published in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

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