Two types of diabetes are actually five types: the results of new research

Scientists said that diabetes is five different types of diseases and each may be treated differently.

Diabetes is basically a disease identified as 'unregulated blood sugar' and is usually divided into two parts - type 1 and type 2.

However, researchers from Sweden and Finland think that they have found a more complex image related to diabetes, and this may result in the treatment of individual people for the treatment of this disease.

Experts say, this study may introduce a new era in the future of diabetes treatment, but it may take more time to change the course of ongoing treatment.

One in every 11 people in the world is suffering from diabetes - and once affected, the risk of heart attack, stroke or brain bleeding, blindness, kidney failure, and limbs cut-off may increase.

Type 1 diabetes is a disease related to human immunity. It attacks beta cells or the body's ability to build insulin, so there is not enough production of this hormone necessary to control blood sugar or sugar levels.

On the other hand, type 2 is considered as a disease related to uncontrolled lifestyle, where excess fat in the body inhibits insulin activity.

The latest study on diabetes was conducted by Sweden’s Lund University Diabetes Center and Finland's Institute for Molecular Medicine. In this study, 14,775 patients were monitored, their detailed analysis of blood was done.

Research results were published in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. It has been shown that diabetes patients can be divided into five specific clusters.

Cluster 1 - It is a type-1 autoimmune diabetes, which affects people only when they are young and they feel healthy to see. Insulin is not produced in the body of these diabetes patients.

Cluster 2 - They are the patients of insulin-deficient diabetes who initially feel like cluster 1 patients. They are young, their weight is controlled, but are struggling to produce insulin - although there is no defect in their immune system.

Cluster 3 - They are severe insulin-resistant diabetes patients, who are usually extra fat. They produce insulin in the body, but their body does not respond to the insulin.

Cluster 4 - It is related to weight-related light-type diabetes, which can be found in obese people. Such people are closer to normal people than cluster 3 types people in metabolism.

Cluster 5 - age-related light-type diabetes, which affects older people. That means these patients are older than other groups, but their diabetes levels are lower.

One of the researchers, Prof Leif Group told the BBC, "It is very important, we are stepping forward to give patients the most appropriate medicines."

He said that three types of diabetes are severe, it can be treated more strongly than other two types of diabetes. Cluster-2 patients can now be identified as type 2 because they do not have autoimmune diseases.

In the study, however, it is found that the reason for their disease is probably a fault in their beta-cell – not because they are too fat. And they should be treated like patients who are now identified as type 1.

Cluster 2 patients have the highest risk of blindness, and cluster 3 patients are more prone to the risk of kidney related diseases - as a result, more testing may benefit patients of several clusters.

The better classification

The Imperial College's Consultant and Clinical Scientist Victoria Salem said that most experts knew that diabetes is classified as "type 1" and "type 2" in this two divisions "it is not very correct".

He told the BBC, "There is no doubt that this research will help how we think about diabetes in future." But he also cautioned that there would be no change in today's treatment of diabetes.

This research has been done in Scandinavia. On the other hand, the risk of diabetes is different in different countries of the world. In South Asia, the risk of the disease is relatively high.

Dr. Salem said, "There are still many things unknown, maybe there are 500 types of sub-groups of diabetes around the world due to genes and local environments." "The researchers have found five clusters in the analysis, but this number may increase," said the scientist.

Dr. Emily Burns of Diabetes UK said “if you understand the disease properly, it can help in treating the patients separately and reduce the risk of future diabetes complications".

Source of Info: bbc.com/bengali

Giving Children Antibiotics too early could be harmful: Greek Study

A Greek study has found that although unavoidable sometimes, giving antibiotics to children could change their metabolism and increase the risk of developing their pre-diabetes.

Taking antibiotics could be harmful at any age. Antibiotics kills certain good bacteria in the gut. Thus it disrupts naturally occurring gut flora. Sometimes, alongside treatment, a course of probiotics is recommended by medical professionals. The aim is to rebalance the body’s microbial ecosystem.

Dr. Charikleia Stefanaki, a Research Associate from Pediatric Endocrinology at Athens University Medical School, Greece explained that increased consumption of antibiotics up to the age of three seemed to decrease beneficial gut microbes and change nutrient absorption and metabolism. That might lead to pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes is an early high-risk stage of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The researchers analyzed stool samples of 10 pre-diabetic adolescents and 14 healthy control patients. Their age was between 12 and 17. Thus the scientists established the link of taking antibiotics and diabetes.

The pre-diabetic children reported that they had taken antibiotics more than three times a year by the time they were 3 years old. Actually, they took antibiotics 8.5 times more between birth and 3 years than the healthy participants. Fewer species of Ruminococcus bacteria was found in their stool samples. Ruminococcus is one kind of bacteria which forms colonies that nourish beneficial bacteria in the gut.

The scientists suggest that the reduction of beneficial bacteria could lead to unfavorable changes in gut flora. This changes might be explained as the onset of pre-diabetes.

To reassure parents, the researchers have given some suggestions. They said that there are certain prebiotics and probiotics which could help reestablish a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut. They could also reduce any risk of pre-diabetes which is linked to increased antibiotic use in early childhood.

The researchers also pointed out the importance of using antibiotics correctly. They suggest that antibiotics should be used when they are really needed. In terms of children, everybody has to be more conscious. Dr. Charikleia Stefanaki says that gut microbes produce vitamins, hormones and micronutrients are frequently neglected by the medical community. These gut microbes interact with the gut’s nervous system and influence the gut’s immune response.

Antibody slows the growth and spread cancer cells found

A group of scientists, from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, has found an antibody that slows the growth and spread of common cancers.

The researchers found that the antibody inhibited the spread of lung, breast, melanoma and prostate cancer cells. It was doing this by activating immune cells which are known as Natural Killer (NK) cells.

The study lead author, Professor Mark Smyth, said that one kind of protein called CD96 sits on the surface of Natural Killer immune cells and stops the cells from becoming over-activated and attacking the body’s own healthy cells.

Smyth added that they previously found that cancers hijacked that process and stopped the immune system from recognizing cancer cells and becoming activated. Thus cancer would spread throughout the body.

In the latest study, the researchers have found that an antibody blocks CD96 and enables more effective NK cells activation. In this process, the NK cells detect and destroy the cancer cells.

The study opened a new horizon in immunotherapy treatments to fight cancer. Immunotherapy is a fast-developing field. In case of treating cancer, it is causing a revolution. To treat cancer it uses patient’s own immune system. It is also used in other serious diseases too.

According to Smyth, the findings are very significant and exciting. “In treating some cancers, immunotherapy treatments are proving highly successful”, Smyth added. However, the researchers are focusing on developing new treatments which work on a different types of immune cells which are known as cytotoxic T cells.

Smyth pointed out that by contrast, they had shown that they could slow the spread of cancer by targeting Natural Killer cells. They think that this method will be just as important and effective in future as other immunotherapy treatments which are being used now.

It was a significant finding that the antibody was more effective in slowing the spread of the cancer cells. It was prolonging survival when it was used in combination with existing agents which targets and activates cytotoxic T cells.

The journal Cancer Discovery published the study.

Take Blueberries to Prevent Alzheimer

As a superfood blueberries have already prized for its antioxidant properties. Blueberries have benefits on memory and cognitive function. A new American research has highlighted it.

This wonderful fruit can fight against the devastating effects of dementia. For an example Alzheimer’s disease could be mentioned.

It was known earlier that blueberries protect the heart and cut the risk of cancer. Now researchers have been studying blueberries for their effects on brain aging.

Previous studies showed that daily consumption of blueberries could reduce blood pressure in eight weeks only.

A study which was published in April 2013 found that blueberries contain polyphenols. Polyphenols encourage autophagy. Autophagy is a cellular self-cleaning process. This process removes toxic proteins which is built up in the brain.

In the latest study researchers monitored 47 American adults aged 68 and older. The participants had mild cognitive impairment.

The participants were given either freeze-dried blueberry powder, equivalent to a cup of berries or a placebo powder once a day. Researchers from the University of Cincinnati, USA conducted the study over a period of 16 weeks.

Those who took blueberry powder found their memory improved. They could access to words and concepts better. In comparison with those given the placebo, an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan of the brain showed more dynamic brain activity in this group.

The second experiment was focused on 94 people who were aged 62 to 80. They subjectively felt their memories declining. Actually they had no objectively measured cognitive issues. The participants were split into four groups. One group were given blueberry powder. The other groups were given either fish oil, fish oil and powder or a placebo.

The second experiment found some improvement in cognitive function in those who were given either blueberry powder or fish oil. But, there was no improvement in memory. The MRI scan showed little specific increase in activity.

Eating blueberries could be beneficial if a cognitive impairment is already established. Researchers concluded this from the two experiment.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder. It causes the progressive and irreversible destruction of neurons. According to the USA’s Alzheimer’s Association, at present more than 5.3 million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s. But this number could rise by 40 percent by 2025. The number could be triple by 2050.

The Final Puzzle of Type 1 Diabetes Solved

Finally scientists have revealed a complete picture of the areas where the immune system attacks to create type 1 diabetes.

The journal Diabetes published the study. The study discovered the fifth and final critical target where the immune system takes aim.

To prevent and treat the disease the findings could help develop new ways. The team at the University of Lincoln said it.

According to Diabetes UK, the study results were “impressive”.

In type 1 diabetes, the beta cells which make insulin are destroyed by the immune system. Insulin is the hormone which is needed to keep blood sugar levels under control.

Studies were conducted looking at the unique antibodies which is made by patients with type 1 diabetes. The studies showed that the immune system attacked five key targets.

But to understand the targets was like identifying someone from their silhouette.

Some of the targets were discovered by studies long ago. However, the final target has proved elusive for two decades.

Dr. Michael Christie who led the research at the University of Lincoln, told the BBC that with the new discovery, they had finished identifying what the immune system was targeting. Now they have the complete picture.

The final piece of puzzle is tetraspanin-7. The other targets are: Insulin, Glutamate decarboxylase, IA-2 and Zinc transporter-8.

In secreting or storing the hormone insulin the more technically named ones are largely involved.

King’s College London has already used the knowledge of some of these targets. They are aiming to stall the progression of type-1 diabetes.

But according to Dr. Christie, having the complete picture could help transform care for type 1 patients.

He said that once the immune system decided it wanted to get rid of something it was very hard to stop. He also said that diabetes had proved to be a difficult disease to prevent.

So they are hoping that by identifying the major targets in diabetes-1, they will be able to find ways to prevent it by blocking the immune response to the five proteins without leaving that person vulnerable to infections.

Dr. Christie added that with recent improvements in their understanding of the disease he was very hopeful. They will develop a treatment now. He has a lot more confidence than five years ago.

Dr. Emily Burns from the charity Diabetes UK, said that in order to prevent type 1 diabetes, they needed to understand it fully how the immune responded that damages insulin-producing cells developed in the first place. Dr. Christie’s impressive research was helping them to do that.

Which Exercise if Better: Sexual Intercourse or Walking?

Are you married and overweight? Are you trying to lose your weight? If you are married and walk regularly for weight loss, there is a new information for you. Health scientists have discovered that sexual intercourse is better exercise than walking for weight loss. Studies showed that sexual intercourse costs 4.2 calories per minute from men’s body. For women it is 3.1 calories. According to a study, published in a renowned journal, sex is better exercise than walking. 

However, there was a debate among scientists for a long time whether sexual intercourse is one kind of exercise or not. There is a general idea among people that sex for once costs 100 to 300 calories. But this information was totally guess based. Recently, some brave people participated in a study and researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson recorded data of activation in their body.

During sexual intercourse their heart beat increased and it went up to 180 per minute. In comparison with normal exercise, it is found that the heartbeat of a 50 year old man is 45 to 119 per minute during a medium type of heavy exercise. This implies that sex is better than a moderate exercise. That means, your one hour sex works as 36 minutes moderate weight loss exercise.

Earlier in 1984, another study was conducted on 10 brave couples. The information of their physical condition was recorded using heartbeat, blood pressure, oxygen gas analyzer and electrocardiography. It was also found then that their heartbeat increased much.

But the process had a problem. The study used many tools connected with sensors, tubes etc. In the presence of such tools normal sex was hampered. So, the results of the study were not considered accurate. However, the recent study has solved the problem.

This time researchers got all information of calorie consumption just wearing an armband called Sensewear. At first the participants were told to do moderate exercise to get a primary idea. Then they were went home with the armband attached to their body. Data came to the researchers when the couples were engaging sexual intercourse at home.

Definitely, people like sex more than hard exercises such as: exercise at the gym, swimming or shedding sweat by running. And, since it is more effective than doing household chores, scientists hope that, after getting this information, people will be more interested and their calorie shedding will increase.

Men Have More Heart Disease and Diabetes Risk

Men have some more potential risks of suffering from some diseases than women. And among the diseases, dangerous heart disease and diabetes are common. NDTV reported this. A study has confirmed this recently. Researchers have informed, along with diabetes and heart disease, men have more death risk in taking excessive medicine and alcohol. And for this reason, men have higher death rate than women. 

The lead author of the study Mikel Eisenberg, a researcher from Stanford University School of Medicine said, ‘Adult men do not go to doctor unless they face serious health problem. Rather they buy and take medicine according to their own choice.’

Eisenberg also said, ‘Most of the time, these kinds of people are to visit doctors during child birth process. And this is a chance of engaging them to healthcare system.’

The researchers conducted studies from 2001 to 2009 on 115,000 men who had problems in giving birth to children. In the study, their health was compared with common men. From the study it was known, the men under study had heart disease and diabetes risks along with negligence in treatment, obesity, smoking and health problems. Eisenberg said that these kinds of men were over 30 years of age. The Fertility and Sterility Journal published the study results.

Diabetes and heart disease that cause long time sufferings and death risks in adult men and women are common in the world. The number of diabetes patients are increasing alarmingly all around the world. The scenery is the same for heart disease. Diabetes does harm to almost all systems (organs) of the body. In chronic diabetes, our eyes, kidneys, heart, nervous system, skin, joints, reproductive system and almost all other organs will lose their effectiveness. Among these, heart disease is dangerous and widespread. Diabetes patients become victim to heart disease more and severely.

Those who have type-2 diabetes have potential risk of suffering high blood pressure. Along with that, unnatural condition of blood lipid and physical obesity increase 2 to 4 times. Above all, the possibility of heart disease increases several folds. All the diseases are bound in one cycle. This is called metabolic syndrome.

Gain Good Health in a Minute

Could you gain good health in sixty seconds only? Because of being busy or idleness you cannot manage time for exercise. No, you are not alone. In Britain, 80% of the people are in this group. You will find more people like this around the world. How wonderful it would be for such kinds of people if there is an exercise that is completed in one minute!

According to the UK doctors, 115 minutes exercise a week is ideal. But it is possible to gain good health by taking heavy physical exercise for a few minutes. This kind of heavy and short time exercise is called ‘High Intensity Interval Training’ or HIIT in brief. How much time does this exercise take? This exercise takes a few minutes in a week. That means, one minute per day is enough. This exercise is scientific too.

BBC reported, scientists have been conducting a comparable research between common physical exercise and HIIT. And the information gotten about HIIT is positive.

Micle Mosley, a BBC reporter and doctor, experimented HIIT on himself. He faced the researchers at University of Nottingham, and the researchers conducted some experiments on him. According to the researchers’ instructions, Mosley drove a stationary bike for 60 seconds at 20 seconds interval. Thus he took exercise for six weeks. Again the researchers tested his body. What did they find? They found that HIIT had influenced the carbohydrate and physical activities of Mosley positively.

According to the research, physical power is increased by HIIT. Along with that, heart and lung power is also increased. Why does it happen? It happens because HIIT increases the power of mitochondria. Besides this, some hormones are released by HIIT. The hormones help to reduce the fat of the body.

Yes, it is true that HIIT brings good health. But before taking such exercise, you have to consult with your doctor. Researchers are giving you such advice.

Benefits of Meditation for Brain and Body

What are the benefits of meditation? In recent years, meditation is becoming increasingly popular. There are many reasons behind this. Meditation decrease distress. It decreases the risk of many diseases. It improves health condition and makes the brain cool. But these claims have not many experimental base. People who do meditation claim that Buddhist monks spend hours in meditation daily. Some random studies have been conducted but that did not include a large number of mind control groups.

Biologica Psychiatry published a study this February where scientific experiments were conducted on mindfulness meditation. The study result shows that mindfulness meditation has the power of changing the brains of ordinary people and improving their health. The New York Times reported the study on February 18, 2016.

The lead researcher, an associate professor of Psychology and the director of the Health and Human Performance Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University, J. David Creswell, said mindful meditation wants a receptive and open, non-judgmental awareness of our experience which we have at the present moment. 

Placebo problem is a difficulty which is faced by the researchers when they investigate meditation. In careful researches, several participants get treatment but others receive a placebo. They think that they are getting treatment alike but actually they are not. But when people meditate, they can tell that they are meditating.

AT first, the researchers engaged 35 unemployed women and men who were searching for work and living in stress. They drew their blood and scanned their brain. They taught half of the participants formal mindfulness meditation staying at a residential retreat center. The researchers taught the second half of the participants to complete one kind of sham mindfulness meditation which was given attention to relaxation and diverting oneself from stress and worries.

The mindfulness group focused on their bodily sensations even unpleasant sensations. On the other hand, relaxation group gave attention to chatter ignoring their bodies when their leader was making fun. 

At last, three days later, all participants told the researchers that they felt refreshed and they could withstand the worries derived from their unemployment. After four months, the participants who practiced mindfulness meditation showed considerably lower levels unhealthy inflammation occurred in their blood than relaxation group. According to the researchers, still they have no idea how much meditation is an ideal dose.

Study Found Antibody Therapy Against MERS

Scientists have found an antibody that will treat Middle East Respiratory Syndrome(MERS). The researchers tested the antibody in mice and got effective result. NDTV reported this on February 18, 2016.

MERS is a viral respiratory disease which was first found in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Arovael coronavirus(MERS-Cov) causes this disease. Shortness of breath, cough, fever and pneumonia are the symptoms of MERS. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 36 percent MERS affected patients have died. MERS does not transmit human to human. Actually, it transmits from animals to humans. MERS affected mostly the Middle Eastern countries. Outside the Middle East, it has affected the Republic of Korea largely.

There is no travel ban by World Health Organization(WHO) to MERS affected countries. But WHO cautions everybody to practice general hygiene measures after going contact to animals such as camels. The WHO also suggests all not to consume raw or undercooked animal products such as meat and milk. There is no available vaccine or specific treatment of MERS.

Now come to the new study. The new study has found an antibody which blocks the MERS virus. It was produced by cows. Then the antibody had been genetically modified. Scientists gave cows a new MERS vaccine which led to production of anti-MERS antibodies. Scientists purified the antibodies to produce the therapeutic. They experimented it in the MERS infected mice.

One of the lead researchers Matthew Friema, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, US described the study results as promising. He said that the study results were important because it gave them a potential way to attack MERS and provided evidence that the transgenic cows are able to produce therapeutics rapidly.

The genetically modified cows were provided by SAB, a bio-pharmaceutical company in South Dakota, US. SAB invented the technology. Another company Novavax, a vaccine biotech company in Maryland, US provided the vaccine.

The researchers said that their next step would be a human clinical trial for testing the therapeutic and safety. It will occur within the next three to six months.

New Pressure Sensor Will Detect Breast Cancer

One day X-rays will not be used to detect breast cancer in women. A pair of gloves where pressure sensors are attached may complete the task, researchers informed this. The sensor, transparent and bendable may help doctors to check women for breast cancer. Fox News reported the study on February 09, 2016.

Sometimes, doctors touch patients' body for various reasons. For an example, they try to fill hard spots to find out any abnormalities such as tumors. When they do this, they press the parts of the body slightly.

 Actually, doctors may depend on their feeling while touching the body of the patients to detect cancer. The study senior author said.

The researchers said that doctors could use pressure sensors to analyze their patients which could be more effective than their natural feeling. The senior author Takao Someya told Live Science that a sensor-incorporated glove can use the data input into it from the breast because generally tumors are more rigid than breast tissue.

As human body is soft, the existing body touching sensors are soft too. The soft sensors work well but the problem is, the sensors are not bendable. On the other hand, these devices are not able to differentiate between their own bending and the objects bending, the researchers said.

The lead author of the study Sungwon Lee from University of Tokyo, said many groups are trying to develop bendable sensors which are able to measure pressure but not any of the device can measure feel objects because they are sensitive to bending.

The researchers are saying now that they have made an ultra-sensitive transparent pressure sensor which can detect pressure clearly, though the sensor is bent to an extraordinary degree.

The device measured pressure successfully when the scientists were experimenting it. The researchers said that they found the device could detect small pressure changes also.

The new sensor may make robots which are sensitive to pressure. The scientists want to develop a stretchable pressure sensor in future.

Injuries Increase Risk of Losing Job

Injured workers lose their jobs because of their injury, though the accidents occur in their own workplaces. A new study of nursing home workers in the US has found it. This incident happens even though the accident occurs due to lack of worker protections. Fox News reported the study on February 08, 2016.

In comparison with colleagues who reported no injuries, workers who were injured were more than twice as likely to be sacked within next six months.

Cassandre Okechukwa, the lead author from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, said that the results of the study demonstrate more risk of the workers being fired but they did not have data to ensure why workers were being fired actually.

The study also found that injured workers who sustained injury for multiple times were also twice as likely to retire within next six months as colleagues who had no injury.

Generally, workers are injured within the first several months of their new workplaces. The researchers said it in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine. As a result, this kind of job turnover may have chances that the injured workers will be injured again in a new work environment.

The researchers also pointed out that the state-level regulations are not followed always. The regulations protect workers from being sacked when they face injury. The regulations also say that employers must give workers necessary time and compensation so that the workers can be recovered from injury.

The researchers used data taken from another study which was conducted by the Work, Family and Health Network. That study involved direct care workers from 30 nursing homes in New England. The main goal of the study was to test workplace policies which can improve health, well-being and safety of the workers, one researcher said it by email.

The researchers analyzed data collected from 1,331 nursing home workers. They completed 4 interviews- at the beginning of the study, six months later, after one year and at last 18 months had passed.

According to the study, employers fired the injured workers they thought that the workers were not able to perform their job duties after injury. The employers were also worried that the workers might be injured again.

We have no hand in accident. It happens suddenly. In workplace, it can happen any time. Workers are not responsible for it. Employers should give workers all protective measures to avoid injury.

Oral Contraceptive Not Related To Birth Defects Risk

In a new study, conducted by the researchers of Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health and Statens Serun Institute, Denmark have found that oral contraceptives which are taken by women before or during pregnancy do not increase the risk of birth defects.

It has been found by the researchers that the prevalence of most of the birth defects was consistent. Brittany Charlton, the first author and researcher in the Harvard Chan School department of Epidemiology and instructor of Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital said that women who become pregnant either soon after stopping oral contraceptives, or during the period of taking them, should know that this exposure is not likely to cause their fetus to develop a birth defect. Women and their health care providers should be reassured by this.

If oral contraceptives are used perfectly, they could be 99 percent effective. About 10 percent of women who use oral contraceptives become pregnant in the first year. A lot of women stop taking oral contraceptives when they plan a pregnancy within a few months. Researchers have known little about the potential health risk to children from an utero exposure to the hormones in oral contraceptives.

The researchers studies 880,694 live-born babies and the health of these children at one year follow-up. They estimated oral contraceptive use based on the date of mother's most recently filled prescription.

Among the women participated in the study, one fifth had never used oral contraceptives before pregnancy, and more than two-thirds had stopped taking oral contraceptives at least three months before their pregnancy. Almost 8 percent of women had discontinued use within three months of their pregnancy. After becoming pregnant, 1 percent or more than 10,000 women had used oral contraceptives.

Oral contraceptives are preparations of female sex hormones that are taken orally. There are different types of oral pills-

1. Micro or Mini pill: These pills contain progestogen only.

2. Combined pill: It contains both progestogen and oestrogen.

3. Sequential pill: For the first two weeks, it contains estrogen only and for the subsequent weeks, it contains both oestrogen and progestogen.

4. Post Coital pill: It contains a large dose of diathylstilboesterol.

Magical Power of Beetroot Juice for Elderly

A new study suggested that Beetroot juice has significant power in improving blood pressure and exercise endurance in those elderly patients who are suffering from heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) syndrome. NDTV reported on Feb 12, 2016.

A daily beetroot juice intake improved aerobic endurance by 24 percent. 5-10 mmHg blood pressure was decreased by it.

This primary study suggests that taking beetroot juice daily a week could be a effective therapeutic option in improving aerobic endurance with HFPEF patients. One of the researchers professor Dalane Kitzman at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, North Carolina, said.

HFPEF is a strong form of heart failure which occurs initially in elderly women reflects how the heart's left ventricle pumps with every beat.

Tiredness and shortness of breath are the primary symptoms of HFPEF. Some non-cardiac factors which decrease oxygen delivery to skeletal muscles are responsible for it.

The journal of the American College of Cardiology Heart Failure published details of the findings.

19 people were enrolled in the study. It was a randomized safety study for determining the better way to improve exercise intolerance. The researchers gave the patients a single dose or a daily dose of the juice over several days.

Firstly, the researchers measured blood pressure and aerobic endurance. After that, they gave the patients either a single dose of beetroot juice or a placebo.

The dose of the beetroot juice was equivalent to 2.4 ounces which contains approximately six millimoles of inorganic nitrate. More studies need to be conducted.

Beet is a wonderful root vegetable and beetroot juice has plenty of benefits. Traditionally, it has been used to cure people for a long time. According to Wikipedia, beetroot was used by ancient Romans to treat fever and constipation. Beetroot contains high amount of folic acid and manganese. Traditionally, people drink or use beetroot juice to treat anemia, tiredness and skin problems.

An Exciting News for Cancer Patients

A new therapy which can retrain the immune system of our body to fight against cancer has made the health world excited when researchers found that more than 90 percent of terminally ill cancer patients recovered. BBC reported it on Feb 16, 2016.

Scientists took white blood cells (WBC) from leukaemia patients and put back after modifying them in the lab.

But they did not publish or review the data because it was said that two patients died because of extreme immune response. Experts mentioned the trail as exciting but still more steps have to be taken.

In Washington DC, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the news bubbled out. When all other treatments had failed and the patients had two to five months to live only, the therapy was used, said the lead scientist of the research. According to him, the early data is groundbreaking.

Scientists took out t-cells which are called killer cells from dozens of patients' immune system. The t-cells were genetically modified by the researchers to target acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

One cancer expert told that they are still in confusion about the result of the study because the data is unavailable.

Leukaemia is a malignant disorder of the haemopoietic tissues. Characteristically, it is associated with increased numbers of primary white cells present in the bone marrow. 

There are two types of leukaemia: Acute type and Chronic type. Malignancy of haemopoietic progenitor cell is known as acute leukaemia. The malignant cell loses its ability to mature and differentiate. Next the cell proliferate  uncontrollably and at last replace normal bone marrow elements. 

On the other hand, Chronic leukaemia is a disorder of proliferation of cells which is unrestrained and excessive. This type of leukaemia occurs mainly in the age-range of 30-80 years. It is equally common in men and women.

Textile Dust Connected with Rheumatoid Arthritis

A study in Malaysia has found link between rheumatoid arthritis and textile dust. Fox News reported it on Feb 12, 2016. Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune system disorder which causes blunt swelling and pain in the joints. Females are more frequently affected than men.

Smoking is a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis is known to all worldwide. The new findings suggested that environmental factors could also create rheumatoid arthritis in some people.

The researchers suspected that lung tissue might be changed by textile dust and the immune response might be triggered by it. 

Since researchers are not clear about the matter that textile dust and rheumatoid arthritis are directly connected, more studies are needed to be ensured.

One of the researchers Bengtsson said that public health initiatives could play a crucial role in decreasing the burden of people particularly the people of developing countries where textile industries are common.

Researchers analyzed data on 910 Malaysian women who had no rheumatoid arthritis and 910 women who had the disease. 

Researchers conducted their study on Malaysian women only because like other developing nations, most textile workers in Malaysia are women. On the other hand, they smoke less than their male counterparts. 

The study found that the women who did not inhale the dust were 2.8 times less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than the women who inhaled the dust.

HLA-DRB1 SE, a genetic risk factor was carried by 40 percent of women who had rheumatoid arthritis.

Other factors like diet or textile industry related works might increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, one expert said it by email.

One previous research found connection between textile dust and rheumatoid arthritis which was conducted on men.

Rheumatoid arthritis can be prevented by giving up smoking and wearing masks in workplaces. The study strengthens the claim that occupation has a link to rheumatoid arthritis.

Autism and Schizophrenia Linked To Vitamin B12

Autism and Schizophrenia in elderly and younger people may have common link because the levels of vitamin B12 are low in both cases. Researchers have found it.

The main cause is vitamin B12 levels decrease in brain in older age. The different levels of vitamin between B12 in blood and brain may imply numerous kinds of neurological decrease such as old-age dementia, schizophrenia, and disorders of autism. The scientists have said. Fox News reported it on Feb 15, 2016.

The study report was published in the Journal PLOS ONE in January, 2016. The study supported an emerging theory that our brain uses vitamin B12 in a strictly regulated system to promote neurological development and to control gene expression from the periods of fetal development and early childhood, in adolescence and then in middle and old age.

Vitamin B12 which is also called cobalamin has a vital role in the formation of blood and the normal function of our nervous system. The sources of B12 are animals, though it is also found in some plant-based foods.

In the study, scientists examined at least 60 deceased individuals aged from a fetus to 80 years. Twelve autism and 9 schizophrenia patients were also included in the study.

The study was the first of its kind which compares vitamin B12 levels in the brain across our lifetime. The levels of vitamin B12 were ten times higher in the youngest compared with the oldest. 

The decline of B12 levels in brain in older age is not bad but it is detrimental in young age. Low levels of vitamin B12 have many negative consequences for young people.

Researchers found the same levels of vitamin B12 in the people of under 10 years of age with autism and 57 years of age. But it was unclear what those low levels of B12 implied.

Various kinds of researches have searched for a link between neurological disorder and vitamin deficiencies. But no specific study was conducted.

Actually, the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic published a study in 2015 where researchers found that vitamin supplements were beneficial for the children with autism and overdosing was detrimental.

Nutrient in Broccoli Slows Breast Cancer Cell Growth: A New Study

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables have a compound which slows breast cancer cells growth. Especially it happens at early stage of cancer. 

It was known before that Sulforaphane can prevent cancer. In the new study, researchers at Oregon State University(OSU) and the Oregon Health and Science University found that sulforaphane may also play role in slowing cancer cells growth. Xinhua published a report on the study.

Researchers found the result from the first clinical studies which was conducted to look at the effects of sulforaphane on breast cells of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer.

One of the researchers said that their goal was to understand whether sulforaphane compounds are tolerated and alter some of the epigenetic mechanisms which are involved in breast cancer. 

Researchers gave either a placebo or supplements which provided sulforaphane to 54 women who had abnormal mammograms. The women received the equal amount of sulforaphane which they could receive from one cup of broccoli sprouts in a day. The researchers were surprised to see that the cell growth decreased. That means the compounds might have helped to slow the growth of cancer cells.

One researcher said that the study result was encouraging because it had been thought traditionally that dietary approaches limited to cancer prevention, but the new study demonstrated that it could help slow the growth of existing tumors.

The Journal Cancer Prevention Research Published the new study. NDTV reported it on Feb 14, 2016. According to a researchers, now it is possible to add sulforaphane to traditional approaches to breast cancer therapy. But more studies are needed to evaluate many things such as dose responses, the responses of other relevant molecular targets and work with large populations, researchers said.

The top cancer in women is Breast cancer. The situation is the same in both developed and developing countries in the world. Mammography has been proved as the only effective cancer screening method so far. The World Health Organization's(WHO) key message in this regard is, Early detection is the cornerstone of breast cancer control.

A Lot of Fish In Pregnancy Increases Child Obesity Risk

Pregnant women who took three servings of fish per week, more than the recommended amount by US health regulators, gave birth to babies at a higher risk of obesity than the mothers who took less, a study suggested on Feb 15, 2016. NDTV and Fox News reported this.

The research in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) Pediatrics informed that there is an association between taking too much fish in pregnancy and rapid obesity risk in children. But researchers warned that they could not prove any cause and effect.

It is a regular concern of pregnant women that how much fish to consume. Fish is good for the development of fetus but fish contains pollutants such as mercury that is very harmful. Researchers need more studies in this regard.

Leda Chatzi, a doctor at the University of Crete, who led the research analyzed data collected from over 26,000 pregnant women and their children in the US and Europe. The research based on the reports of women about how much fish they ate weekly when they were pregnant and followed their children up to the age of six.

The amount of fish women consumed varied from 0.5 times weekly in Belgium to 4.45 times weekly in Spain. According to the study, the highest fish intake was consuming fish more than three times per week.

The study showed, women who consumed fish more than three times per week while pregnant, gave birth to babies with higher BMI values. Researchers have also found that high fish intake by women during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of rapid growth of birth to two years and overweight for children at four and six years of age.

Generally, women should eat different kinds of fish every week and avoid predatory fish such as swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish and shark because some of the mentioned varieties may contain more pollutants.

A New Antibiotic from Breastmilk

Scientists have invented a new antibiotic from breastmilk which will play a great role to fight against antibiotic resistant germs. In a report, The Telegraph of Britain said, this antibiotic invented by the researchers of University College of London will also be helpful in the treatment of anemia caused by cellular transformation.

In an article published in the Royal Society of Chemistry Journal it has been said, a protein called Lactopherin present in mother's breastmilk protects newborn babies from the infection of different kinds of germs. Researchers have made a capsule with that protein which works as a virus. This capsule can detect and destroy some bacteria without doing no harm to any other cell.

Mentioning the name of one of the researchers International Business Time reported, to test the effectiveness of the capsule they used a special platform along with an atomic microscope.

The researchers observed that this protein capsule destroys the bio-structure of bacteria. As a result, the bacteria can not be antibiotic resistant. For this reason, researchers can see new light of hope in the treatment of bacteria, virus and algae which have been antibiotic resistant.

Such kind of bacteria resistant against common antibiotics is called 'Super Bug'. Every year more than 0.7 million people die because of the super bug. In a statistics, a panel of researchers formed by the UK government have shown that the number of deaths caused by super bug may touch one crore per year by 2050 if new treatment methods against super bug are not initiated.

In an interview, inviting all to work together in this matter, the Chief Medical Officer of England Dem Shally Devis told the Times, "we need such kind of antibiotic in every decade. I am not thinking about my old age only; my children will also use this in their old age".