Regeneration of Nerve cells: New Hope for Spinal Cord injuries

 A recent study at Rutgers University suggests innovative new treatment that could help minimize nerve damage in spinal cord injuries, promote tissue healing and minimize pain.

A spinal cord injury leads to an increased production of a protein (RhoA) that blocks regeneration of nerve cells that carry signals along the spinal cord and prevents the injured tissue from healing.

Scientists at the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience and Quark Pharmaceuticals Inc. have developed a chemically synthesized siRNA molecule that decreases the production of the RhoA protein when administered to the spine and allows regeneration of the nerve cells.

"It is exciting because this minimally-invasive treatment can selectively target the injured tissue and thereby promote healing and reduce pain," says Martin Grumet, associate director of the Keck Center and senior author of a recent study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma.

The neuropathic pain, also known as phantom pain that occurs as a result of a spinal cord injury is often associated with an increased production of RhoA. When researchers injected the chemically synthesized molecular substance into the spinal cords of laboratory rats with spinal cord injury using a procedure similar to a spinal tap, there was an overall improvement in tissue healing and recovery.

More than 250,000 people in the United States are living with a spinal cord injury and currently there is no way to reverse the damage. No drugs for early treatment of spinal cord injury have been approved in over a decade. Based on this joint research, Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc now has a drug development program for the treatment of spinal cord injury and neuropathic pain. This new research is supported by grants from the New Jersey Commission for Spinal Cord Research and Quark

Source: Rutgers University

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bubonic plague

A 58 year-old man in the state of New Mexico has been officially deemed as the first bubonic plague case of 2011 in the U.S. Each year approximately 10 to 15 people in the U.S. contract the disease through contact with infected rodents and animals or through the bites of infected fleas. Symptoms of the disease (historically known as the "Black Death" which killed an estimated 75 million people in the 14th century) include fever, chills, headaches, weakness and swollen lymph nodes in the neck, groin, and armpits. Although the disease is now treatable with antibiotics, one out of every seven patients die from it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1,000 to 3,000 cases of the disease occurs annually world wide. The disease is particularly prevalent in New Mexico because the state has a high population of rodents and fleas. The gentleman from New Mexico survived after being treated and has been released from a hospita

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Q: I’ve had diabetes for 7 years. My hemoglobin A1C fluctuates between 6.2 to 6.5. Am I subject to developing problems with my feet?

A: Thanks for this very important question. Foot problems are always a concern for diabetics because they can develop temporary or permanent damage to their nerves (diabetic neuropathy). Diabetics are prone to elevated blood glucose (sugar) levels and poor circulation, both of which can lead to nerve damage, especially of nerves which are fed by very small blood vessels, such as those in the feet. When nerve damage occurs in the feet, you may experience sensations of foot tingling, numbness, burning, cramping and even weakness. Nerve damage can occur in other areas of the body as well, such as the eyes, stomach, intestines, bladder, penis, eyelids, etc. This can lead to vision problems, nausea and vomiting, indigestion, urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, eyelid drooping, and more. About 50% of diabetics will develop nerve damage and, on average, these symptoms will develop 10 to 20 years after the diagnosis of diabetes has been made. One of the most important ways to prevent nerve damage is to control your blood glucose level. The latest guidelines dictate that a person has diabetes when their hemoglobin A1C (a measure of your average blood glucose level over the most recent 2-3 month period) level is 6.4 or higher. Therefore, Lorenzo, keep up the good work because your A1C level is very good and, hopefully, that will reduce your risk of future nerve problems.

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Opportunity for M.Sc Life Science to join miRNA research group at SRM University | NET required

Applications are invited for a post of Junior Research Fellow to work in a research project entitled "Regulation of mesenchymal stem cells towards osteogenic cell lineage by microRNAs" funded by the Indian Council for Medical Research, New Delhi.

Name of Post : JRF
No of Post : One
Emoluments :
Rs. 16,000 + 10% HRA = Rs. 17,600 per month (fixed) for 1st year and 2nd year
Rs. 18,000 + 10% HRA = Rs. 19,800 per month (fixed) for 3rd year

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Medicare Will Pay For Pricey Prostate Cancer Drug

Medicare officials announced today that they will pay the $93,000 cost of the drug, Provenge, for patients with incurable late-stage prostate cancer. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid said the biotech drug is a "reasonable and necessary" medication which can extend a patient's life by an average of 4 months, twice as long as patient undergoing chemotherapy (which has notable side effects). Provenge is an advanced medication whereby each dose is customized to work with an individual patient's immune system. The Seattle-based Dendreon Corp., maker of the drug, says Provenge's price point reflects the more than $1 billion spent on research and development of the drug. From a legal standpoint, Medicare is prohibited from considering price when deciding whether to pay for a new treatment or not

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Stroke “Triggers” May Surprise You

According to the American Heart Association health issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, cigarette smoking and certain heart rhythm disorders can increase one's risk for stroke. But are there certain triggers which can actually cause a stroke to occur. That's what researchers at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, Netherlands set out to find. According to their study, published in the journal Stroke, it appears that there are certain events which may by associated with the onset of stroke. Interestingly, the researchers found that coffee intake had the highest association with having a stroke. Other triggers include:

• Coffee 10.6% (of cases of stroke)
• Vigorous exercise 7.9%
• Nose blowing 5.4%
• Sex 4.3%
• Straining to defecate 3.6%
• Drinking cola 3.5%
• Being startled 2.7%
• Being angry 1.3%

More studies are needed to see if any of these triggers can directly cause a stroke to occur. But, for now, they are just associations which have been noted to have some form of association with stroke.

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Oral Asthma Medications Prove Effective

A new study published online in the current New England Journal of Medicine suggests that oral medications used to control asthma can be just as effective as inhaled medicines. The researchers studied over 650 patients over a two year period and found that the oral asthma medications Singular (montelukast) and Accolate (zafirlukast) performed just as well as inhaled steroids in controlling asthma, but only in the first two months of the study. After two years, asthma control between oral and inhaled medications was almost equivalent, but inhaled medications held a very slight advantage. What the researchers chose to focus on, however, is that patients are more likely to adhere to a medication regimen when given oral pills, compared to inhaled medicines. This is especially important when it comes to chronic diseases such as asthma, and certainly should be taken into consideration for patients who cannot adhere to inhaled medications for whatever reason. It should be noted that the study and its authors have associations with Merck and AstraZeneca pharmaceuticals, the two companies that produce the two oral asthma medications

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Fwd: BTSE 2011 Notification

 

BIOTECH TALENT SEARCH EXAMINATION 2011

 

Dear Sir / Madam

                           Regards, Please find enclosed here with detailed information broacher of the

                           Exam, BIOTECH TALENT SEARCH EXAMINATION 2011 to be held online on 29^th

                           May'2011, organized by Kaushik Biotech Pvt.Ltd. in association ship with leading

                           news paper Dainik Bhaskar.

                           Please visit our website www.kaushikbiotech.com for more details.

 

Organizing  Secretary

BTSE 2011

 

 

 

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China Attempts Public Smoking Ban

One third of the world's smokers are Chinese, according to the BBC. And in China, one million people a year die of smoking-related illnesses. This is why the country is attempting to implement a ban on smoking in public spaces, including restaurants, hotels, train stations, theaters and the like (smoking in the office is apparently still okay). But, however noble the intentions, the smoking ban comes as not much more than a casual reminder of the potential ill effects of smoking. Employers will be obliged to warn employees of the dangers of smoking, however, anyone who chooses to disobey will not be met with any form of punishment or penalty. It seems like education is a major issue as studies show that only one in four Chinese are aware of the potential health effects of cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke. Chinese officials would like to reduce the annual mortality numbers from smoking, but, at the same time, the government is the sole producer and distributor of all tobacco products in the country. A product which generates a lot of state money

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Waist Size More Accurate In Predicting Death From Heart Disease

New research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that waist circumference is a much better indicator of one's risk of death from heart disease than widely used measures, such as Body Mass Index (BMI). The researchers found that patients with known heart disease who have a high ratio of waist-to-hip circumference and large waists — greater than 35 inches for women, or 40 inches for men — were 70% more likely to die during the study period than those with smaller waists. The combination of a large waist and a high BMI further increased the risk of death. "What matters probably the most is the distribution of fat, more than anything else," says the lead researcher, Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota. This study drives home what we are beginning to learn more about – that the patient's body shape and fat distribution is extremely important when it comes to heart disease, and BMI tells us nothing about a person's body habitus. But, why is belly fat so bad? Research has shown that this type of fat that surrounds the organs in the abdomen tends to promote development of insulin resistance (which can increase the risk for diabetes), worsen cholesterol levels, and also increase inflammation, all of which can lead to worsened heart disease

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