Scientists at Purdue University have developed a urine test for early-stage Parkinson’s disease. The technology involves isolating extracellular vesicles of neural origin from urine samples and then assessing the proteins within the vesicles to detect biomarkers of the disease. The researchers have called their technology “EVtrap” (Extracellular Vesicles total recovery and purification) and it involves using magnetic beads to concentrate extracellular vesicles in urine, before subsequent proteomics analysis. The goal of the technique is to detect levels of LRRK2 (leucine-rich repeat kinase 2) proteins and related downstream signaling proteins, which have been reported as being linked to Parkinson’s disease, in urine samples. This type of technology may be poised to allow non-invasive diagnosis of a variety of diseases that can affect the protein content of extracellular vesicles in urine.

Early-stage Parkinson’s disease can take a while to diagnose. This process can involve cognitive tests and tests to assess a patient’s movements. The researchers behind this latest technology report that the process can take a year or even longer, so developing more objective biomarker-based molecular testing approaches for suspected early-stage patients would be very welcome. “We believe this is a logical and rational approach to move forward for diagnosing Parkinson’s disease,” said W. Andy Tao, professor of biochemistry at Purdue. “Diagnosis for this type of neurodegenerative disease is difficult.”

The researchers had developed the EVtrap system previously, but realized that it would be useful for Parkinson’s disease patients when Shalini Padmanabhan from The Michael J. Fox Foundation got in touch. “When I reviewed the data from their previous publication,” said Padmanabhan, “it was interesting to note the expression of an important Parkinson’s disease-linked protein, LRRK2. This piqued my interest since this approach provided us with an opportunity to determine if LRRK2 proteins or the downstream pathways they impact are actually altered in urinary samples from Parkinson’s patients who harbor a mutation in the gene.”

So far, the researchers have tested the system with urine samples from Parkinson’s disease patients and healthy controls and found that the technique has significant promise for early detection of Parkinson’s-related biomarkers.

“This kind of analysis opens a new frontier in noninvasive diagnostics development. It’s showing that biomarkers previously thought to be undetectable have become uncovered and do a really good job of differentiating disease from non-disease state,” said Anton Iliuk, another researcher involved in the study. “It’s not obvious that urine would be a source of brain-based chemicals or signatures, but it is. These EVs can penetrate the blood-brain barrier quite easily.”

See a video about the technique below.

Study in journal Communications Medicine: Quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics of urinary extracellular vesicles define putative diagnostic biosignatures for Parkinson’s disease

Via: Purdue

Researchers in their study published in the journal BMJ Global Health found that initiating the intervention within 24 hours of birth and carrying it out for at least eight hours daily makes the approach even more effective in reducing mortality and infection. 

Kangaroo mother care involves an infant being carried, usually by the mother, in a sling with skin-to-skin contact and many studies already carried out have shown this is a way of reducing mortality and the risk of infection for the child. The World Health Organization recommends it as the standard of care among low birth weight infants after clinical stabilisation.

However, less is known about the ideal time to begin the intervention. Hence, researchers from India conducted a review of numerous large multi-country and community-based randomised trials on the subject.

By looking at existing studies, they set out to compare KMC with conventional care and to compare starting the approach early (within 24 hours of the birth) with later initiation of KMC to see what effect this had on neonatal and infant mortality and severe illness among low birth weight and preterm infants.

Their review looked at 31 trials that included 15,559 infants collectively and of these, 27 studies compared KMC with conventional care, while four compared early with late initiation of KMC.

Analysis of the results showed that compared with conventional care, KMC appeared to reduce the risk of mortality by 32% during birth hospitalisation or by 28 days after birth, while it seemed to reduce the risk of severe infection, such as sepsis, by 15%.

It also emerged that the reduction in mortality was noted regardless of gestational age or weight of the child at enrolment, time of initiation, and place of initiation of KMC (hospital or community).

It was also noted that the mortality benefits were greater when the daily duration of KMC was at least eight hours per day than with shorter duration KMC.

Those studies that had compared early with late-initiated KMC demonstrated a reduction in neonatal mortality of 33% and a probable decreased risk of 15% in clinical sepsis until 28 days following early initiation of KMC.

The review had some limitations in that the studies involved an intervention that was obviously known about by participants so that it could be seen as biased, and very low birth weight, extremely preterm neonates, and severely unstable neonates were often excluded from studies.

However, the review authors said that the risk of bias in the included studies was generally low, and because their review had included a comprehensive and systematic search of existing studies, the certainty of the evidence for the primary outcomes was moderate to high.

They concluded: “Our findings support the practice of KMC for preterm and low birth weight infants as soon as possible after birth and for at least eight hours a day.

Reference:

Sivanandan S, Sankar MJKangaroo mother care for preterm or low birth weight infants: a systematic review and meta-analysisBMJ Global Health 2023;8:e010728.

Nilotpal Chatterjee, who works with Torrent Pharmaceuticals, told PTI that he went to the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital on Saturday for work and found many people injured in the train tragedy being brought there.

"Out of curiosity, I started enquiring about them and learnt that there are seven people who have lost their mobile phones, and do not remember any contact number of their family members. These are poor people who do not have any belongings left with them after the accident," he said.

"Soon, I posted their photos along with other details on Facebook. And those were shared by thousands of people, and I started getting calls from their relatives or people who know them, besides police and government officials," he said.

Chatterjee, 36, said most of these patients have multiple fractures, and were being not able to even speak properly.

The people he helped connect with their families are Gadadhar Sardar, Kabita Karmakar and Nakul Munda of Gosaba in South 24 Parganas, Naren Chowdhury of Goshthonagar in Malda, Sajjit Das of Alipurduar, Samir Kumar Mondal of Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas and Sudha Mondal of Santiniketan in Birbhum.

Sudha's family could not get in touch with her after the accident on Friday, Chatterjee said, adding that after failing to locate her at the hospitals in Odisha, her son-in-law Debiprasad Ghosh even went to the morgue of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, thinking of the worst, before finally getting to know about her whereabouts.

He said it was the drive to do something for the people that made him take up the task, for which he has been spending most of the day at the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital.

The families that have been coming here from far-off places to take their loved ones home know nothing about Midnapore.

"We have been helping them with all kinds of things, including food and shelter," he said.

Chatterjee said several organisations, including Leftist organisation 'Red Volunteers', were working at the hospital to help the distraught people.

"We are taking them on stretchers for x-rays and MRIs, getting them medicines and providing all kinds of help that they need to get better," he said.

Three trains -- Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Super Fast Express and a goods train -- were involved in the crash, now being described as one of India's worst train accidents.

The Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches around 7 pm on Friday. A few passenger wagons of the Coromandel Express whiplashed the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah SF Express, which was passing by at the same time.

Investigators are looking into possible human error, signal failure and other causes behind the three-train crash that killed 275 people.

Read also: Odisha train accident: Expert doctors from Delhi to attend critically injured passengers

Based on scientific studies, a pregnant woman infected with dengue can pass the virus on to her foetus during pregnancy or around the time of birth

View the full post Ministry of Health secures mosquito nets on NOW Grenada.

(AFP) — The virus causing record cases of avian influenza in birds across the world is changing rapidly, experts have warned, as calls increase for countries to vaccinate their poultry.

While emphasising that the risk to humans remains low, the experts who spoke to AFP said that the surging number of bird flu cases in mammals was a cause for concern.

Since first emerging in 1996, the H5N1 avian influenza virus had previously been confined to mostly seasonal outbreaks.

But “something happened” in mid-2021 that made the group of viruses much more infectious, according to Richard Webby, the head of a World Health Organization collaborating centre studying influenza in animals.

Since then, outbreaks have lasted all year round, spreading to new areas and leading to mass deaths among wild birds and tens of millions of poultry being culled.

Webby, who is a researcher at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the US city of Memphis, told AFP it was “absolutely” the largest outbreak of avian influenza the world had seen.

He led research, published this week in the journal Nature Communications, showing how the virus rapidly evolved as it spread from Europe into North America.

The study said the virus increased in virulence, which means it causes more dangerous disease, when in arrived in North America.

The researchers also infected a ferret with one of the new strains of bird flu.

The found an unexpectedly “huge” amount of the virus in its brain, Webby said, indicating it had caused more serious disease than previous strains.

Emphasising that the risk in humans was still low, he said that “this virus is not being static, it’s changing”.

“That does increase the potential that even just by chance” the virus could “pick up genetic traits that allow it to be more of a human virus,” he said.

In rare cases, humans have contracted the sometimes deadly virus, usually after coming in close contact with infected birds.

– ‘Scares us’ –

The virus has also been detected in a soaring number of mammals, which Webby described as a “really, really troubling sign”.

Last week Chile said that nearly 9,000 sea lions, penguins, otters, porpoises and dolphins have died from bird flu along its north coast since the start of the year.

Most mammals are believed to have contracted the virus by eating an infected bird.

But Webby said that what “scares us the most” are indications from a Spanish mink farm, or among sea lions off South America, that the virus could be transmitting between mammals.

Ian Brown, virology head at the UK’s Animal and Plant Health Agency, said there has not yet been “clear evidence that this virus is easily sustaining in mammals.”

While the virus is changing to become “more efficient and more effective in birds,” it remains “unadapted to humans,” Brown told AFP.

Avian viruses bind to different receptors on the host cell than human viruses, Webby said.

It would take “two or three minor changes in one protein of the viruses” to become more adapted to humans, he said.

“That is what we’re really looking out for.”

– Vaccinating poultry –

One way to bring down the number of total bird flu cases, and therefore reduce the risk to humans, would be for countries to vaccinate their poultry, Webby said.

A few nations including China, Egypt and Vietnam have already held vaccination campaigns for poultry.

But many other countries have been reluctant due to import restrictions in some areas, and fears vaccinated birds that nonetheless get infected could slip through the net.

In April, the United States started testing several vaccine candidates for potential use on birds.

France recently said it hopes to start vaccinating poultry as early as autumn this year.

Christine Middlemiss, the UK’s chief veterinary officer, said that vaccinating poultry was not “a silver bullet because the virus changes constantly”.

But traditionally reluctant countries should consider vaccinating poultry more often, Middlemiss told AFP at an event at the UK’s embassy in Paris last week.

World Organisation for Animal Health director general Monique Eloit said that the issue of vaccinating poultry should be “on the table”.

After all, “everyone now knows that a pandemic is not just a fantasy — it could be a reality,” she added.

The post Experts warn bird flu virus changing rapidly in largest ever outbreak appeared first on Barbados Today.

This call was considered by the medical advisor of the Executive Power, Jorge Marte Baez, as exaggerated because the data available to the authorities do not represent a situation that is cause for alarm.

“There is no doubt that there is an increase in cases, but this is not the first time that there are increases in passing cases in the last two months and that increase lasts for days and fades away. We cannot predict that this time it will be the same, but what we can know is that the number of cases requiring hospital admission remains the same,” said Marte Baez to Diario Libre.

The pneumologist explains that the slight increases in the infections could be due to the sub-variant of Omicron, called XBB.1.5, about which the World Health Organization (WHO) has alerted, which causes mild symptoms and which does not put the life of the patients at risk.

“It is not that we are not concerned, but it seems to me that some people and some entities have perhaps exaggerated this danger a little and are reflected above all in that, in a call to resume the use of masks,” said the doctor when affirming that the State health organizations are alert to any situation that requires a change in the recommendations that up to now have been given to the population.

The also medical director of the Centers for Diagnostic and Advanced Medicine and Medical Conferences and Telemedicine (Cedimat) said that a sign of the low danger so far of the new Covid-19 infections is that, in this center, one of the ones that have treated more patients with this disease, exceeding 26,000 in the last month and a half, only two patients have been admitted. The main reason has been that they have chronic conditions.

Pneumologists ask to resume using masks due to the increase of Covid-19 and other respiratory diseases.
HEALTH
Pneumologists ask to resume using masks due to the increase of Covid-19 and other respiratory diseases.
The Dominican Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery bases its call for using masks on the reports issued by pneumologists from this guild, who warn of an increase in Covid-19 infections.

“In recent weeks, the pulmonologists of the society at the national level, we have observed with concern the increase in the number of patients in consultations who are testing positive to Covid 19 influenza, pneumonia and other viral respiratory processes,” says the entity’s statement.

“It is time for our older adults, pregnant women and people suffering from diseases to start protecting themselves again,” said the pulmonologists’ society when reminding that even though the WHO declared the end of the health emergency due to Covid-19, it does not mean that it has ceased to be a threat to world health.

Public Health on alert
The Minister of Public Health, Daniel Rivera, called on the population not to be alarmed by the alert issued by the Dominican Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery about an increase in positive cases of Covid-19 in the country and assured that the situation is under control.

Rivera warned that Covid-19 is already an endemic disease and that permanent and timely monitoring is maintained by the Epidemiological Surveillance System of this institution that, allows the identification of health events and the taking of appropriate and effective decisions.

“It is not necessary to be alarmed; the Ministry has a permanent monitoring of the disease and has always offered the precise details and in case the data varies, the information will also be offered in a transparent manner, and if it is necessary to retake some measures, it would also be officially informed,” said Rivera when asking the citizenship not to be carried of rumors in networks.

Divided population
Citizens consulted by this media about the return of the use of masks reacted in favor and against this recommendation. Still, they indicated that if ordered, they would put them on again.

In this respect, Dionicio Jiménez says he is not currently using them because he does not consider it necessary. However, he is vigilant if the possibility of doing it again arises.

Others like Felix Caset say that they have never stopped using masks and will continue to use them indefinitely regardless of what the authorities say about it.

Meanwhile, owners of establishments with closed spaces said they would follow the rules established by the authorities in their businesses to help prevent contagion, if necessary.

While in the streets, some people are seen walking with their masks on.

The mandatory use of masks in workplaces and different public spaces was established by resolution 000016 of the Ministry of Public Health on June 22, 2020, and lifted on February 16, 2022; however, its optional use was recommended at that time.

For this reason, the Ministry took this weekend to this demarcation of the -Ruta de la Salud- (Health Route).

The participating doctors measured glycosylated hemoglobin to determine blood sugar levels more accurately, thanks to the advanced technology glucometers they obtained.

The day
This was the twenty-third version of the -Health Route: change your lifestyle- where municipalities benefited from more than 35 health services and used advanced technology glucometers that contribute with greater precision to detect blood sugar levels and maintain control in people with diabetes.

Detection
The aim is to identify the major chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, to apply preventive measures comprehensively and thus guarantee people access to quality, free, and humanized health services.

Dr. Daniel Rivera insisted that the incidence of diseases can be reversed with healthy lifestyles that include healthy eating, exercise, and reducing salt, saturated fats, alcoholic beverages, and sugar.

Health education
Dr. Rivera said one of the elements of interest in the Ruta de la Salud is that it can guide thousands of people and serve as multipliers in their communities.

Likewise, he said that diabetes and hypertension can be detected since many people have these ailments but are unaware of their condition. “We need 10,000 steps a day to reduce weight because this leads to hypertension, and here in Salcedo, we have the ideal agricultural production for a healthy diet,” said the doctor. However, he insisted that he wants people to be healthy and that it is unnecessary to go to health centers because there is enough health.

He said that digital glucose meters are high-tech devices that measure glycosylated hemoglobin in diabetic patients or for those who wish to monitor their glucose levels. They are part of a significant donation from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration through the Strengthening Project.

We
have been experiencing some really hot days in Jamaica, and the cry on many lips is that it is not yet summer!

The healthy human body maintains its internal temperature at around 37°C. Variations, usually of less than 1°C, occur with the time of the day, level of physical activity or emotional state. A change of body temperature of more than 1°C occurs only during illness or when environmental conditions are more than the body's ability to cope with extreme heat.

As the environment "warms-up", the body tends to do the same. The body's internal "thermostat" maintains a constant inner body temperature by pumping more blood to the skin and by increasing sweat production. By doing so, the body increases the rate of heat loss to balance the heat burden. In a very hot environment, the rate of "heat gain" is more than the rate of "heat loss" and the body temperature begins to rise. A rise in the body temperature results in heat illnesses, which can have serious effects on the body.

Evaporation of sweat from the skin cools the body.

What are the effects of heat on the body?

When the air temperature or humidity rises above the range for comfort, problems can occur.

As the temperature increases, persons may experience:

• Increased irritability

• Loss of concentration and ability to do mental tasks

• Loss of ability to do skilled tasks or heavy work

In moderately hot environments, the body "goes to work" to get rid of excess heat so it can maintain its normal body temperature. The heart rate increases to pump more blood through outer body parts and skin so that excess heat is lost to the environment, and sweating occurs. These changes place additional demands on the body. Changes in blood flow and excessive sweating reduce a person's ability to do physical and mental work. Manual work creates additional metabolic heat and adds to the body heat burden.

The risk of heat-related illness varies from person to person. A person's general health influences how well he/she adapts to heat (and cold).

Persons who are overweight or obese often have trouble in hot environments as the body has difficulty maintaining good heat balance. Age, poor general health, and a low level of physical fitness can also make people more susceptible to feeling the extremes of heat.

Medical conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, respiratory disease and uncontrolled diabetes may contribute to challenges of increased heat and individuals affected with these conditions need to take special precautions. Additionally, those individuals with skin diseases and rashes may be more susceptible to heat. Substances — prescription or otherwise — can also have an impact on how people react to heat.

What are the illnesses caused by heat exposure?

1. Heat oedema is swelling which generally occurs among people who are not acclimatised to working in hot conditions. Swelling is often most noticeable in the ankles.

2. A heat rash is a cluster of small itchy, pimple-looking red blisters that appear on the skin – usually on the neck, groin, chest or in the elbow creases. In most cases heat rash will disappear when the affected person returns to a cooler environment.

WHAT TO DO

• Stay in a cool, dry place.

• Keep the rash dry.

• Use powder to soothe the rash.

3. Sunburns are caused by damage to the skin by ultraviolet rays. The skin appears red, warm, and tender and occasionally itchy. The skin will begin to flake and peel after a few days.

WHAT TO DO

• Stay out of the sun until the sunburn heals.

• Put cool cloths on sunburned areas or take a cool bath to help relieve the pain.

• Put moisturising lotion on sunburned areas.

• Do not break blisters.

• Drink extra water.

4. Heat cramps are sharp pains in the muscles that may occur alone or combined with one of the other illnesses caused by heat. These cramps occur during or after intense exercise and sweating in high heat. Sweating depletes the levels of salt and water in the body. The low salt levels in the muscles cause painful cramps. Inadequate fluid intake often contributes to this problem.

WHAT TO DO

• Stop physical activity and move to a cool place.

• Drink water or a sports drink.

• Wait for cramps to go away before engaging in any more physical activity.

Urgent medical attention is needed if:

• Cramps last longer than one hour

• Affected person is on low-sodium diet or has a heart condition

5. Heat exhaustion is caused by loss of body water and salt through excessive sweating. It is most likely to affect the elderly, people with high blood pressure and those who work in hot environments.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion may start suddenly, and include: nausea , irritability, headache, dizziness, fatigue, thirst, heavy sweating, decreased urine output, and elevated body temperature

WHAT TO DO

• Get medical aid.

• Move to a cooler, shaded location.

• Remove as many clothes as possible (including socks and shoes).

• Apply cool, wet cloths or ice to head, face, or neck. Spray the body with cool water.

• Drink water, clear juice, or a sports drink.

Heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke if left untreated.

6. Heat syncope is heat-induced dizziness and fainting that usually occurs when someone stands for too long or gets up suddenly after sitting or lying down. This is caused by temporarily insufficient flow of blood to the brain. It can also be caused by vigorous physical activity for two or more hours before fainting happens. It is caused by the loss of body fluids through sweating, and by lowered blood pressure due to pooling of blood in the legs. Heat syncope occurs mostly among unacclimatised people. Recovery is rapid after resting in a cool area.

7. Heat stroke is the most serious type of heat illness and is a medical emergency.

• Symptoms of heat stroke include hot, dry skin or profuse sweating, very high body temperature, confusion, loss of consciousness and seizures.

First aid for heat stroke includes:

• Get the person to hospital immediately.

• Stay with the person until help arrives.

• Move him/her to a cooler, shaded location.

• Remove as many items of clothes as possible (including socks and shoes).

• Wet the person's skin and clothing with cool water.

• Apply cold, wet cloths or ice to head, face, neck, armpits, and groin.

• Do not try to force the person to drink liquids.

Delayed treatment may result in death.

Dr Jacqueline E Campbell is a family physician and radio show host. She is the author of the book A patient's guide to the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Email: drjcampbell14@yahoo.com IG: dr.jcampbell