MR VACCINATION DRIVE

Day after 13 kids taken ill, WHO team visits Bathinda (The Tribune:

20180509)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/day-after-13-kids-taken-ill-who-team-visits-

bathinda/586448.html

MR VACCINATION DRIVE KICKS UP STORM

Day after 13 kids taken ill, WHO team visits Bathinda

Vaccine samples sent to lab, report expected within 15 days

A child with measles symptoms at the Bathinda Civil Hospital on Tuesday. Tribune photo:

Officials of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Union Health Ministry visited

Bathinda in the aftermath of hospitalisation of 13 children on Monday, following their MR

vaccination.

Dr GB Singh, Assistant Director, state Health Department, while addressing mediapersons,

said they had sent samples of used/unused vaccines and syringes for laboratory test.

Significantly, the department did not carry out the vaccination drive in urban areas of

Bathinda on Tuesday. Dr GB Singh said the drive had been halted as they wanted to collect

water samples from urban areas in view of “diahorrea-like” symptoms among these children.

He said the drive would resume on Wednesday.

Dr S Srinivasan, sub-regional team leader of WHO (Delhi) and Dr Gomti, a representative of

the Union Health Ministry from New Delhi accompanied by GB Singh, who is also the nodal

officer (state) of the MR campaign, reached the Civil Hospital in the morning and held

prolonged deliberations with district programme officers associated with the MR campaign.

DAILY NEWS BULLETINLEADING HEALTH, POPULATION AND FAMILY WELFARE STORIES OF THE DayWednesday 20180509

The WHO official and the Health Department officials also visited different schools to take

stock of the vaccination campaign. Later, they interacted with the parents of children who

were admitted at the government hospital.

The WHO official said they were investigating the matter. Later, addressing a press

conference at the Civil Surgeon’s office, GB Singh termed the matter a routine visit, said,

“Keeping in view the sudden rise in the number of children admitted at Bathinda post-MR

vaccination, we have carried out inspections at different schools. We have sent samples of

used/unused vaccines and syringes to the Central Research Institute (CRI) in Kasauli,

Himachal Pradesh. We can be sure of what happened only after we receive the report, which

is expected to come within 15 days.”

Four suspected cases of measles

Bathinda: Four kids, who were administered the MR vaccine over the last one week, are

suspected to have contracted measles. Their urine samples will be sent for testing on

Wednesday. Dr Satish Jindal, paediatrician, Mother and Child Hospital, said, “The incubation

period for vaccine-induced measles is one week whereas all these four cases have come up

within three to six days.” Meanwhile, five more children with minor complications were

admitted at the Mother and Child Hospital on Monday evening and Tuesday. In Muktsar, a

Class X student of a private school at Bhalaiana village fell unconscious almost an hour after

she was administered the vaccine. TNS

PSU to protest today

Chandigarh:The Punjab Student Union has given a call for a statewide protest on Wednesday

against the ongoing vaccination campaign. In a press release, the state president of the union,

Rajinder Singh, said instead of answering the questions raised by experts, the government is

trying to suppress them with FIRs. He said the government should come out clean on the

issue and should mark an inquiry in this “dirty deal between the vaccine company and the

government”. Tns

Drugs Addictions

Peddlers going back to trade frustrate police efforts (The Tribune:

20180509)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/peddlers-going-back-to-trade-frustrate-police-

efforts/586441.html

Number of cases far higher than people in drug trade, police yet to compile figures

The number of arrests under the NDPS Act has been consistently high for the past couple of

years — average of around 35 per day — however, that may not signify much success as

most of them are repeat offenders, because of which peddling has persisted despite the

massive police drive.

The number of actual peddlers would thus be much lower when compared to the number of

arrests since the formation of the anti-drug Special Task Force (STF) in the state.

STF chief and ADGP Harpreet Sidhu, admitting the fact, said data needed to be compiled to

establish the actual number of peddlers getting arrested repeatedly. “We have thus far

succeeded in blocking the supply lines to Punjab, and are now beginning analytical

investigation of the cases,” he said.

Experts feel that along with nabbing peddlers, the STF should also have a separate wing to

plan rehabilitation projects for those arrested under the NDPS Act so as to keep them from

going back to the trade once they come out on bail.

How a lot of the police effort goes waste in carrying on a struggle with the same set of

peddlers was revealed in The Tribune’s interaction with three peddlers:

Family circumstances

It was after much persuasion that 23-year-old Mohinder (name changed) agreed to meet this

correspondent on the outskirts of his village in Kapurthala. He was arrested last year for

carrying narcotics, and was released on bail recently.

How did he get into drugs? “Six years ago, my father, the sole earning member in the family,

died in an accident. I was only 16 at the time. Despite efforts, I could not find a job to support

my four sisters and grandparents. Under stress, I took my first ‘shot’,” Mohinder said. He has

been arrested twice under the NDPS Act since.

He bought his first shot of morphine for Rs 600. “My neighbor had bought it for Rs 60 from

Saharanpur. Seeing the profit, I too joined him in this lucrative business,” Mohinder claimed.

Initially, he bought around 2,000 injections for Rs 60 each, and sold those for Rs 500 to Rs

600 in Punjab. Later, he even called for consignments of up to Rs 2 lakh, and sold those to

bigger players in the state.

Interestingly, he claimed that the police till date were not aware of the “mega deals” struck by

him, and had been arresting him only for possession of small quantities of “intoxicant

powder”.

Supply from UP

Thirty-four-year-old Bharat (name changed) is into peddling for the past 10 years. Despite

repeated arrests, he has not given up the trade. He came out on bail recently.

During a meeting in Kartarpur, he said, “I am just a small fish. The chain is alive across the

country, with the nerve centre in Uttar Pradesh. Over 80 per cent of the drugs consumed in

Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh are being supplied from UP.” Bharat

said the majority of the drugs sold by them are injections and medicines such as Alprax

tablets, Spasmo Proxyvon and Tramadol.

“Bhagwanpur and Kaliyar villages in Uttar Pradesh are the hub for the supply of drugs to

Punjab. You can ask for any quantity from a small bag to truckloads,” Bharat said.

And how does he receive the consignments? “Peddlers like us strike the deal on the road. I do

it in Bhagwanpur. Each time we are met by a different face, on a different vehicle (mostly

two-wheeler). The deal is always done in cash,” Bharat said.

He even claimed that he had informed the local police of the modus operandi during

interrogation, but there was no action on the input. “They are just perpetuating the narcotics

supply cycle by repeatedly arresting peddlers whenever they come out on bail,” Bharat

alleged.

Multiple cases

The Tribune spoke to the sister of one Sushant (real name), 22, a resident of Phillaur. He was

allegedly rounded up by the Nakodar police on September 16, 2016, on the charge of stealing

a scooter on September 13 from a Punjab Roadways employee (FIR No. 192) at Nakodar bus

stand.

A day later, on September 17, he was booked under the NDPS Act and Sections 397, 380,

455 and 427 of the IPC, and 34 and 25 of the Arms Act (FIR No. 193).

Two days after that, on September 19, he was booked yet again under Section 22 of the

NDPS Act for possession of 120 gm of “intoxicant powder”.

The sister claimed that two cops had approached him and asked if he knew how to drive an

Activa scooter. When he said yes, they took him to the police station. Next, they clicked his

photographs after making him stand next to a stolen scooter, and sent him to jail.

Though Sushant was acquitted in the theft case, he is still contesting the two other cases, in

which he has been awarded imprisonment of 17 years.

Despite repeated calls made to the area SHO and DSP, they could not explain as to why three

different cases were registered against the same person with a single arrest.

Prisons ill-equipped

The availability and abuse of drugs in prisons is going on unchecked as the department is

severely strained for staff, who are unable to prevent the entry of drugs into prison premises.

In Kapurthala Modern Jail, where around 500 to 600 people go out for court hearings every

day, it is not practically feasible to frisk every prisoner. The department recently procured

two dogs trained in sniffing out narcotics, but their work time is limited to an hour or so.

Moreover, with no vehicle available to transport the dogs, they tire out just walking to the

prison gate.

Dementia risk

Even mild head blows may raise dementia risk (The Tribune: 20180509)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/even-mild-head-blows-may-raise-dementia-

risk/586199.html

Even head blows that do not result in loss of consciousness may cause brain changes that

increase the risk of dementia, new research has found.

The study, which tracked more than 350,000 participants, showed that the likelihood of

dementia more than doubled following concussion.

Concussion without loss of consciousness led to 2.36 times the risk for dementia, showed the

findings published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

These risks were slightly elevated for those in the loss-of-consciousness bracket (2.51) and

were nearly four times higher (3.77) for those with the more serious moderate-to-severe

traumatic brain injury.

The researchers identified participants from two databases. The first group included all-era

veterans whose traumatic brain injuries could have occurred during civilian or military life.

The second group included veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, for whom most of these

injuries had occurred in combat zones, such as from shockwaves in blasts.

"The findings in both groups were similar, indicating that concussions occurring in combat

areas were as likely to be linked to dementia as those concussions affecting the general

population," said first author Deborah Barnes, Professor at the University of California, San

Francisco, US.

In total, 357,558 participants, whose average age was 49, were tracked.

Half had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, of which 54 per cent reported

experiencing concussion.

The study followed the participants for an average of 4.2 years.

"There are several mechanisms that may explain the association between traumatic brain

injury and dementia," said senior author and principal investigator Kristine Yaffe, Professor

at the University of California, San Francisco.

"There's something about trauma that may hasten the development of neurodegenerative

conditions. One theory is that brain injury induces or accelerates the accumulation of

abnormal proteins that lead to neuronal death associated with conditions like Alzheimer's

disease," Yaffe said.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia.

"It's also possible that trauma leaves the brain more vulnerable to other injuries or ageing

processes," Yaffe said. IANS

Overweight

47.7 pc people living in Delhi slum found to be overweight (The Tribune:

20180509)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/47-7-pc-people-living-in-delhi-slum-found-to-be-

overweight/586179.html

Nearly half of a group of healthy individuals living in a Delhi slum were found to be

overweight while 17.2 per cent were obese, according to a recent survey.

Almost 64.9 per cent of 314 individuals who were assessed during a camp were found either

over-weight or obese, which are important risk factors for heart and vascular diseases.

Around 20.1 per cent reported use of tobacco products while 37.3 pc had high blood pressure.

Around 500 individuals were evaluated and examined for body mass index (BMI), obesity,

blood pressure measurement, spot blood sugar, blood lipids and an electrocardiogram (ECG)

was done at a recent camp by a team of doctors from Batra Hospital and Medical Research

Centre (BHMRC) out of which the data was available for 314 individuals.

"Around 37.3 per cent of the persons had high blood pressure as per the current Indian

definition of 140/90 mms Hg.

"Here it needs to be mentioned that the US definition has changed recently to above 130/80

mms Hg and going by that parameter, it would be an alarming figure of around 50 per cent,"

said Dr Upendra Kaul, Chairman and Dean Academics and Research at the Batra Hospital

and Medical Research Center(BHMRC).

Analysis of the blood sugar levels taken at health camp revealed a disturbing pattern which

warrants serious attention from healthcare workers.

66.1 per cent of the persons had blood sugar levels between 101-200 mg/dL(average 137

mgs/ dl) while 8.5 per cent had blood sugar levels above 200 mg/dL with only 11 per cent of

them reporting a family history of diabetes.

Also, 14.5 pc had borderline high cholesterol levels (200-239 mg/dL) while 3.2 per cent of

the evaluated individuals had high cholesterol levels, exceeding 240 mg/dL.

ECG performed on them found that 8.9 per cent of them had definite ECG abnormalities

indicating a very high probability of a past cardiac event without any history (silent attacks).

Minor ECG changes were seen in around 21.5 er cent subjects.

"Based upon our analysis we found that taken together, approximately 71 per cent of the

subjects had one or more comorbidities contributing to the elevated risk for a cardiac episode

in this apparently healthy population.

"The implication of these findings in low income population, many of whom are working as

daily wagers and involved in menial jobs, is obvious. This also an alarm bell as about half of

the surveyed population was young (between the ages of 25 to 44 years only). Health

education and imparting knowledge regarding healthy life style should be undertaken in this

area on top priority," Kaul said.

51.3 per cent of the 314 persons evaluated at the camp were in the age group of 25-44 years,

34.4 per cent were in the age bracket of 45-64 years while only 6.7 per cent were 65 years

and above. Only 7.6 per cent of those evaluated belonged to the age group of 5-14 years.

Overweight (The Asian Age: 20180509)

http://onlineepaper.asianage.com/articledetailpage.aspx?id=10631173

Asthma

Dust storm alert: precaution advised for asthmatics (The Hindu: 20180509)

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/dust-storm-alert-precaution-advised-for-

asthmatics/article23817765.ece

‘Dust particles can trigger allergic asthmatic reactions’

In the wake of the weatherman issuing a warning of dust storm, thunderstorm and squall over

the National Capital Region and other northern States, city doctors have advised those

suffering from asthma to take extreme precaution.

“Sudden change in weather and health issues associated with it make it vital for people to

follow some precautions,” said Rajesh Chawla, senior consultant, pulmonologist,

Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.

He said dust particles, which are both macro and micro in size, can lead to severe respiratory

problems. These particles tend to trigger allergic asthmatic reactions in people.

“If anyone gets stuck outside during a dust storm, the first thing they should do is to cover

their mouth, nose, eyes and ears properly with a thick wet cloth to lessen the chances of dust

particles entering the body. Then, they should immediately seek shelter from the storm. When

they reach home, they should clean their throat with water and take a bath,” Dr. Chawla said.

Dust particles can enter the house during a high-intensity dust storm, posing a threat to

children and elderly persons. The best precaution against this is to keep the doors and

windows closed. Doctors said if anyone has trouble breathing, especially children, senior

citizens and asthma patients, they should be taken to the hospital immediately.

To counter irritation in the throat and nose caused by dust particles, inhale steam for 10-20

minutes to cleanse the respiratory passage. “All patients who have asthma or suffer from

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] should keep at hand medicines and inhalers

advised by the physician in case of an emergency,” Dr. Chawla said.

Manav Manchanda, pulmonologist, Asian Institute of Medical Sciences, Faridabad, said,

“Dust storms can lead to chronic problems such as bronchitis, asthma, heart problems and

respiratory problems. Dust storms can be worse for people already suffering from asthma as

they can worsen lung function.”

Dust pneumonia

Besides PM 2.5, he said, dust storms can also be carriers of heavy metals such as arsenic,

fertilisers and pesticides, and bacteria, fungi and viruses.

“Dust storms can also lead to dust pneumonia, a condition caused due to excessive exposure

to dust which leads to filling of lungs with dust and inflammation of alveoli,” said the doctor.

Air pollution affects children the most and they are particularly vulnerable as they are not

always able to express in words that their asthma symptoms are worsening.

Karan Madan, Assistant Professor, Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Disorders,

AIIMS, said, “Today, inhalation therapy is the mainstay of treatment for asthma. Inhaled

medicines are integral to management of respiratory diseases like asthma. They deliver drugs

directly to the lungs and hence act faster. They are administered at a lower dose, thereby

reducing the risk of side effects. Inhaled medication has shown improved disease status,

controlled symptoms, reduction in number and severity of exacerbations and improved

quality of life.”

Speaking on respiratory disease management challenges, Shyam Kukreja, Head of

Department, Paediatrics Department, Max Hospital, Patparganj, said, “Key challenges in

management of asthma include improving compliance and developing effective and easy-to-

use inhalers.

Many patients frequently underutilise medication or use inhalers incorrectly, which can be

detrimental to maintaining disease control. This can cause them to switch to oral therapy,

which can be disastrous.”

Robotic surgery

Tumour removed by robotic surgery (The Hindu: 20180509)

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/tumour-removed-by-robotic-

surgery/article23815485.ece

Surgery led by Indian-origin surgeon

In a first, a robot was used to successfully remove a rare tumour from a patient’s neck in a

surgery led by an Indian-origin surgeon.

Chordoma is a rare type of cancer that occurs in the bones of the skull base and spine. A

chordoma tumour usually grows slowly and is often asymptomatic for years.

In the case of 27-year-old Noah Pernikoff from the U.S., a 2016 car accident revealed his

surprising diagnosis. Among his injuries from the accident, Mr. Pernikoff tore his rotator cuff

and had several herniated discs. More important, however, was his post-accident nagging

neck pain, which lead to an x-ray that revealed a concerning lesion in his neck, on his

cervical spine.

Three-step surgery

Mr. Pernikoff became the first patient in the world to undergo a complex three-part, robotic-

assisted surgery, which was completed at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in

the U.S. in August last year. First, the neurosurgeons went through the back of Mr.

Pernikoff’s neck and cut the spine around the tumour to prepare for the second stage,

removing the tumour through his mouth.

The lesion was clearly unrelated to the accident, and far more concerning than the minor

injuries he had endured.

After making a recovery from the accident, a biopsy of the spot resulted in a diagnosis of

chordoma.

“I’m lucky because they caught mine early. For a lot of people, if it’s not found and treated

early, it’s lethal,” Mr. Pernikoff said.

“The doctor said if I hadn’t discovered it through the car accident it probably would have

kept growing until it came to a point on my spinal cord where it caused paralysis or death,”

he said.

Chordoma is extremely rare. It affects only one in one million people each year. Mr.

Pernikoff’s specific type of chordoma, located on his C2 vertebrae, is even rarer, making

treatment a challenge.

A team led by Dr. Neil Malhotra, an assistant professor decided to remove the tumour

through a rare and complex spinal surgery approach by using a trans-oral robotic (TORS)

approach for the second part of the surgery. TORS is the world’s first group of minimally

invasive robotic surgery techniques to remove benign and malignant tumours of the mouth

and throat.

Nine months after the surgery, Pernikoff is already back to work.

The Delhi Medical Council (DMC)

Clean chit to doctors in baby death case (The Times of India: 20180509)

https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/

Newborn Wrongly Declared Dead: DMC Submits Report To Cops

The Delhi Medical Council (DMC) has given a clean chit to the doctors at Max Shalimar

Bagh in a case where a newborn was allegedly wrongly declared dead. His parents

discovered that the baby was still alive when they were going to cremate him.

The state medical council, in its report to Delhi Police’s crime branch which is probing the

case, has stated that the parents of the newborn, delivered at 23 weeks of pregnancy, had

signed the Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) document.

“International medical literature clearly suggests that fetus less than 24 weeks, if born, is not

viable and not likely to survive. The Delhi Registration of Birth and Death Rules, 1999,

prescribe that 28 weeks is period of gestation for it to be viable,” said Dr Girish Tyagi,

registrar of DMC.

He added that there were procedural lapses and inadequate documentation, which was

probably due to absence of standard operating guidelines when managing such cases. “We

have written to the Centre and the state to develop protocol for dealing with them in the

future,” Tyagi said.

On the allegations that the newborn, along with the other stillborn twin, was handed over to

the relatives wrapped in a polythene bag, the council said hospital nurses had strongly denied

this.

“The twins with no sign of life were handed over to relatives/attendant of the patient covered

in clean white sheets by sister herself in the presence of the security team and obstetrics and

gynaecology doctor. To her understanding, the patient’s family on its own, for the ease of

carrying, requested for and put the babies in the non-chlorinated yellow bag kept in labour

room, which was permitted nor sealed/packed by the doctors or staff of the hospital (sic),”

DMC said.

The DMC report, compiled by five members who heard in person the victim’s family and

hospital staff among others, comes five months after a committee constituted by the state

government to look into allegations of medical negligence in the case found the hospital

guilty. On December 8, Max Shalimar Bagh’s licence was cancelled.

The cancellation order cited the committee report, which said the hospital had not kept any

proper temperature and vital sign monitor record of the period of comfort care provided to the

live male newborn. It added: “The committee also concluded the staff nurses on duty were

also at fault as they handed over the bodies of the newborns without any written direction

from the paediatrician and they also missed the signs of life in the male newborn while

handing over the ‘body’ to the attendants.”

Immunisation (The Asian Age: 20180509)

http://onlineepaper.asianage.com/articledetailpage.aspx?id=10631249

Surgery (The Asian Age: 20180509)

http://onlineepaper.asianage.com/articledetailpage.aspx?id=10630876

Ebola Vaccine (The Asian Age: 20180509)

http://onlineepaper.asianage.com/articledetailpage.aspx?id=10630873

Brain cholesterol

Brain cholesterol may increase Alzheimer's disease risk (New Kerala:

20180509)

https://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-363741.html

London, May 8 : Cholesterol -- a molecule normally linked with cardiovascular diseases --

may also play an important role in the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease,

researchers have found.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Chemistry, suggests that in the brain,

cholesterol acts as a catalyst which triggers the formation of the toxic clusters of the amyloid-

beta protein, which is a central player in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers found that cholesterol, which is one of the main components of cell walls in

neurons, can trigger amyloid-beta molecules to aggregate, and their aggregation eventually

leads to the formation of amyloid plaques, in a toxic chain reaction that leads to the death of

brain cells.

"The levels of amyloid-beta normally found in the brain are about a thousand times lower

than we require to observe it aggregating in the laboratory - so what happens in the brain to

make it aggregate?" said lead author Michele Vendruscolo, Professor at Centre for

Misfolding Diseases, in the University of Cambridge.

For the study, using a kinetic approach, the researchers found in vitro studies that the

presence of cholesterol in cell membranes can act as a trigger for the aggregation of amyloid-

beta.

Since amyloid-beta is normally present in such small quantities in the brain, the molecules

don't normally find each other and stick together. Amyloid-beta does attach itself to lipid

molecules, however, which are sticky and insoluble, the researcher said.

In the case of Alzheimer's disease, the amyloid-beta molecules stick to the lipid cell

membranes that contain cholesterol.

Once stuck close together on these cell membranes, the amyloid-beta molecules have a

greater chance to come into contact with each other and start to aggregate - in fact, the

researchers found that cholesterol speeds up the aggregation of amyloid-beta by a factor of

20.

"The question for us now is not how to eliminate cholesterol from the brain, but about how to

control cholesterol's role in Alzheimer's disease through the regulation of its interaction with

amyloid-beta," Vendruscolo said.

"We're not saying that cholesterol is the only trigger for the aggregation process, but it's

certainly one of them," Vendruscolo added.

Lung cancer

New biomarker identified for early detection of lung cancer (New Kerala:

20180509)

https://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-363670.html

Researchers have identified a protein which could serve as a biomarker for the early

diagnosis of lung cancer.

The study, published in The American Journal of Pathology, found that high levels of

cytoskeleton-associated protein 4 (CKAP4) have been identified in the blood of patients with

lung cancer than in healthy individuals.

"The results of our study provide evidence that the CKAP4 protein may be a novel early sero-

diagnostic marker for lung cancer," said co-author Ryo Nagashio from Kitasato University

School of Allied Health Sciences in Japan.

The disease is associated with a poor prognosis because most lung cancers are only diagnosed

at an advanced stage.

Current biomarkers for lung cancer includes carcinoma embryonic antigen (CEA), sialyl

Lewis X antigen (SLX), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen, and cytokeratin fragment

(CYFRA) 21-1, but these are not sensitive enough to detect tumors early, the researchers

said.

"The use of CKAP4 as a biomarker could change current practices regarding the treatment of

lung cancer patients, and the diagnostic accuracies may be markedly improved by the

combination of CKAP4 and conventional markers," lead author Yuichi Sato from Kitasato

University School of Allied Health Sciences, added.

For the study, researchers performed reverse-phase protein array analysis using a monoclonal

antibody designated as KU-Lu-1 antibody on the blood of 271 lung cancer patients and 100

healthy individuals.

They found that KU-Lu-1 reacted only with tumour cells and tumour stromal fibroblasts in

lung cancer tissues and not with normal lung tissues.

Using immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, they confirmed that the KU-Lu-1

antibody recognised CKAP4 in lung cancer cells and tissues, and its secretion into the culture

supernatant was also confirmed.

In addition, a validation set consisting of samples from 100 patients with lung cancer and 38

healthy controls was also studied.

CKAP4 was recently identified as a receptor of Dickkopf1 (DKK1), the researchers said.

Expressions of DKK1 and CKAP4 were frequently observed in tumor lesions of human

pancreatic and lung cancers, and the simultaneous expression of both proteins in tumour

tissues was inversely correlated with prognosis and relapse-free survival, the researchers

added.

Dementia risk

Even mild head blows may raise dementia risk (New Kerala: 20180509)

https://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-363637.html

Even head blows that do not result in loss of consciousness may cause brain changes that

increase the risk of dementia, new research has found.

The study, which tracked more than 350,000 participants, showed that the likelihood of

dementia more than doubled following concussion.

Concussion without loss of consciousness led to 2.36 times the risk for dementia, showed the

findings published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

These risks were slightly elevated for those in the loss-of-consciousness bracket (2.51) and

were nearly four times higher (3.77) for those with the more serious moderate-to-severe

traumatic brain injury.

The researchers identified participants from two databases. The first group included all-era

veterans whose traumatic brain injuries could have occurred during civilian or military life.

The second group included veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, for whom most of these

injuries had occurred in combat zones, such as from shockwaves in blasts.

"The findings in both groups were similar, indicating that concussions occurring in combat

areas were as likely to be linked to dementia as those concussions affecting the general

population," said first author Deborah Barnes, Professor at the University of California, San

Francisco, US.

In total, 357,558 participants, whose average age was 49, were tracked.

Half had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, of which 54 per cent reported

experiencing concussion.

The study followed the participants for an average of 4.2 years.

"There are several mechanisms that may explain the association between traumatic brain

injury and dementia," said senior author and principal investigator Kristine Yaffe, Professor

at the University of California, San Francisco.

"There's something about trauma that may hasten the development of neurodegenerative

conditions. One theory is that brain injury induces or accelerates the accumulation of

abnormal proteins that lead to neuronal death associated with conditions like Alzheimer's

disease," Yaffe said.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia.

"It's also possible that trauma leaves the brain more vulnerable to other injuries or ageing

processes," Yaffe said.

Thalassemia

Over 1 lakh thalassemia patients die before they turn 20(New Kerala:

20180509)

https://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-363456.html

May 8 : India is one of the worst thalassemia affected countries in the world with more than

four crore carriers and over one lakh thalassaemia majors under blood transfusion every

month.

On World Thalassaemia Day, the focus falls back on the efforts to contain the disease.

Over one lakh thalassemia patients across the country die before they turn 20 due to lack of

access to treatment. With preventive health not being the norm in India, people suffering

from thalassaemia are unknowingly passing on this genetic disorder to their children. Every

year more than 10,000 children with thalassaemia major are born in India.

While countries like Pakistan, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia have made carrier testing

compulsory for relatives of thalassaemia patients long back, there has been no move to put in

place prevention and control program at the national level in India.

"Thalassemia is an inherited condition which is carried in the genes and passed on from

parents to children. One of the major types of thalassemia, Beta thalassemia, happens when

the gene that controls the production of a protein called beta globin becomes defective. The

rising number of thalassemic children is posing a threat on the public health of our country.

Lack of awareness of the problem, failure in planning, no provisions for prevention and

inadequate treatment leading to premature death among the affected children are the leading

causes for the crisis", said Dr. Manjeetha Nath Das, Consultant Internal Medicine, Columbia

Asia Hospital, Gurugram.

The inherited blood disorder destroys the red blood cells extensively, leading to anaemia, in

which the body does not produce enough normal healthy blood cells.

Children with mild thalassemia do not show any symptoms, and doctors may not diagnose it

until a routine blood test reveals anaemia. Only on further investigation and testing for iron-

deficiency, is when thalassemia is detected generally. The focus needs to be on early

diagnosis, which gives the patient and family due time to contain the disease.

"Children who have mild thalassemia may feel tired or irritable, have shortness of breath, feel

dizzy or lightheaded, and have pale skin, lips or nail beds compared to their normal colour. In

more severe cases, they may also have heart palpitations, jaundice, enlarged liver or spleen,

enlarged bones, mainly in the cheeks and forehead, and slowed growth which is caused by

the late onset of puberty caused by anaemia. If children are not diagnosed and treated in time,

thalassemia may play a part in other health problems such as heart diseases, infections and

weakness, and brittle bones", he said.

"Bone deformities, iron overload and even heart problems can be associated with

thalassemia. It is spreading fast and now taking epidemic proportions with millions of people

being affected with it an about 10,000 children being born with it in India every year. There

should be a system of regular screening and diagnosis to put a check on this disease. Pregnant

women should go for proper and complete pre-natal tests to identify whether they are

transferring the disease to their children or not. There is no cure available for thalassemia

right now and the only way the affected people can live is by regular blood transfusion," said

Dr Prashant Shetty ,Executive Director (Biochemistry, Haematology and Immunoassay

Dept.) at iGenetic Diagnostics.

Most thalassemia major patients require blood transfusions every 2-4 weeks, depending on

their consumption of the infused cells. Regular transfusions provide patients with the red

blood cells needed to survive. However, once these red blood cells are broken down, the body

is left with an excess of iron.

"Thalassemia is taking epidemic proportions in the country with 45 million people being

affected with it currently. About 10,000 babies are born with this genetic disorder every year

in India. One big issue that we are facing currently in association with thalassemia is the

medical gap - lack of trained doctor and facilities that have the infrastructure and the

manpower to manage the disorder," said Dr Dharminder Nagar, MD, Paras Healthcare.

Children suffering from this disease also require psychosocial support, including promotion

of a clear understanding of the disease. Thalassemia support groups are also very important

as they not only educate patients and their families about the disease, but also provide them

with an opportunity to meet their peers and participate in social activities. Children should be

allowed to get involved in normal activities with healthy peers to further their development

and build their self-image.

The need for psychosocial support is even greater in India where treatment poses a financial

burden as well. The need to shift the attention on psychosocial management aspects of

thalassemics by initiating intervention programs will help them in leading a healthy, creative

and fulfilling life.

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