Adverse Health Effects Of Recreational Cannabis Use

Background: Cannabis plants produce a unique family of terpeno-phenolic compounds called cannabinoids, which produce the "high" one experiences from consuming marijuana. Cannabis is usually smoked in a ‘joint’ or with a water pipe (sometimes with tobacco added) because smoking is the most efficient way to achieve the desired psychoactive effects.

Two Major Constituents of Cannabis. THC is psychoactive.

A quick summary for all:

1. There are 483 identifiable chemical constituents known to exist in the cannabis plant, and at least 85 different cannabinoids have been isolated from the plant.

2. The two cannabinoids usually produced in greatest abundance are cannabidiol (CBD) and/or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but only THC is psychoactive or gives “high”.

3. Since the early 1970s, Cannabis plants have been categorized by their chemical phenotype or "chemotype", based on the overall amount of THC produced, and on the ratio of THC to CBD. Although overall cannabinoid production is influenced by environmental factors, the THC/CBD ratio is genetically determined and remains fixed throughout the life of a plant.

4. Non-drug plants produce relatively low levels of THC and high levels of CBD, while drug plants produce high levels of THC and low levels of CBD. When plants of these two chemotypes cross-pollinate, the plants in the first filial (F1) generation have an intermediate chemotype and produce similar amounts of CBD and THC. Female plants of this chemotype may produce enough THC to be utilized for drug production.

Recreational Use:

Cannabis is used for a wide variety of purposes including recreational use, medical use and as hemp fibre. Many human culture including Chinese, Indian and Greek, etc., have records of cannabis use in various social and religious activities. Cannabis is a popular recreational drug around the world, only behind alcohol, caffeine and tobacco, and it is also available as baked product and as a tea!!!

Summary: The article reports analysis of various “side-effects” that have been associated with ‘heavy’ or ‘regular’ cannabis, which for the study purpose is defined as daily or near-daily use. Starting from year 1993 till year 2013, a comparison of the evidence in 1993 with the evidence and interpretation of the same health outcomes in 2013 is attempted. Various fallouts including health, social behaviors, education, etc. are evaluated for regular user vis-à-vis a non-regular/non-user.

Results: The key conclusions are:

Adverse Effects of Acute Cannabis Use

1. Cannabis does not produce fatal overdoses.

2. Driving while cannabis-intoxicated doubles the risk of a car crash; this risk increases substantially if users are also alcohol-intoxicated.

3. Cannabis use during pregnancy slightly reduces birth weight of the baby.

Adverse Effects of Chronic Cannabis Use

1. Regular cannabis users can develop a dependence syndrome, the risks of which are around 1 in 10 of all cannabis users and 1 in 6 among those who start in adolescence.

2. Regular cannabis users double their risks of experiencing psychotic symptoms and disorders, especially if they have a personal or family history of psychotic disorders, and if they start using cannabis in their mid-teens.

3. Regular adolescent cannabis users have lower educational attainment than non-using peers but researchers don't know whether the link is causal.

4. Regular adolescent cannabis users are more likely to use other illicit drugs, but researchers don't know whether the link is causal.

5. Regular cannabis use that begins in adolescence and continues throughout young adulthood appears to produce intellectual impairment, but the mechanism and reversibility of the impairment is unclear.

6. Regular cannabis use in adolescence approximately doubles the risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia or reporting psychotic symptoms in adulthood.

7. Regular cannabis smokers have a higher risk of developing chronic bronchitis.

8. Cannabis smoking by middle aged adults probably increases the risk of myocardial infarction.

Article Citation: Hall, W. What has research over the past two decades revealed about the adverse health effects of recreational cannabis use? Addiction 2015, 110(1), 19-35. (free copy)

Older Moms Have Smarter and Taller Kids

Summary: Midwives have been saying this for ages, and researchers of the related field too have reported that the children delivered by older women are at greater health risks. Childbearing at older ages is understood to increase the risk of negative pregnancy outcomes such as Down syndrome, as well as increase the risk that the children will develop Alzheimer's disease, hypertension, and diabetes later in life.

It is a Declaration ..... Not a Debate

A research reported in journal Population and Development Review, put this old age observation in a fix. It suggests children of older mothers are healthier, taller and obtain more education than the children of younger mothers. The main reason is that in industrialized countries educational opportunities are increasing, and thanks to advancement in medicine science, people are getting healthier by the year. In other words, report supports old age pregnancy and birth.

Methdology: Researchers used data from over 1.5 million Swedish men and women born between 1960 and 1991 to examine the relationship between maternal age at the time of birth, and height, physical fitness, grades in high school, and educational attainment of the children. Physical fitness and height are good proxies for overall health, and educational attainment is a key determinant of occupational achievement and lifetime opportunities.

In their statistical analyses, researchers compared siblings who share the same biological mother and father. Siblings share 50% of their genes, and also grow up in the same household environment with the same parents.

Results:

1. Women in the developed world are having children at later ages. Mean age at first birth, which has increased in each of the 23 OECD countries since 1970, now averages 28 years.

2. Advanced maternal age is associated with increased risk of poor perinatal outcomes and increased risk of mortality and cancer in adulthood. The research documenting these negative outcomes, however, neglects the potential benefits of being born at a later date.

3. Delaying parenthood means that the child is born in a later birth cohort. This is beneficial, since form any important outcomes related to health and educational attainment, long-term trends are positive.

4. Researchers find that the total effect of increasing maternal age-which includes individual-level factors such as reproductive aging and changing social resources, as well as the positive impact of improving macro-level period conditions-is consistently positive. This is true even in cases where the individual-level effect is negative, because the macro-level positive trends more than offset the negative effect.

5. Researchers found that when mothers delayed childbearing to older ages, even as old as 40 or older, they had children who were taller, had better grades in high school, and were more likely to go to university.

Conclusions: The authors concluded as “For example, a woman born in 1950 who had a child at the age of 20 would have given birth in 1970. If that same woman had a child at 40, she would have given birth in 1990. Those twenty years make a huge difference. A child born in 1990, for example, had a much higher probability of going to a college or university than somebody born 20 years earlier. Moreover, the benefits associated with being born in a later year outweigh the individual risk factors arising from being born to an older mother. We need to develop a different perspective on advanced maternal age. Expectant parents are typically well aware of the risks associated with late pregnancy, but they are less aware of the positive effects".

Article Citation: Barclay, K. and Myrskyla, M. Advanced Maternal Age and Offspring Outcomes: Reproductive Aging and Counterbalancing Period Trends. Population and Development Review 2016, 42(1), 69-94. (free copy)

Maternal-Age Stats from the Study: In 1968, approximately 75 percent of all births were to mothers aged less than 30, and fewer than 10 percent of births were to mothers aged 35 or above. Over a 45-year period childbearing at later ages at all parities has become more common; by 2013 approximately 60 percent of births were to mothers aged 30 or older, and 5 percent to mothers aged 40 or older. There are many reasons for the increase in the mean of maternal age at birth over these years. Much of the fertility postponement has been attributed to the use of the contraceptive pill, the expansion of career opportunities for women, and increasing economic uncertainty.

Cannabis Addicts Have Reduced Dopamine Release in Brain

Summary: Various reported studies have shown that addiction to drugs of abuse such as cocaine and heroin, have serious effects on dopamine release in human brain, but such evidence for cannabis was missing until now. A latest publication in the journal Molecular Psychiatry provides evidence of a compromised dopamine system in heavy users of marijuana. Lower dopamine release was found in the striatum - a region of the brain that is involved in working memory, impulsive behavior, and attention.

Whether Dark or Light: It Doesnt Make You BRIGHT!!!!!!!

Study: The study was carried involving 11 adults between the ages of 21 and 40 who were severely dependent on cannabis (CD) and 12 matched healthy controls (HC). On average, the cannabis group started using at age 16, became dependent on cannabis by age 20, and have been dependent for the past 7 years. In the month prior to the study, nearly all users in this study smoked marijuana daily. Moreover, during the study period the heavy marijuana users stayed in the hospital for a week, during which they abstained from using it. This was to ensure that the experiments (scans) were not measuring the drug's effects.

Experimental Details: The researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) scans to track a radio-tracing molecule that binds to the brain's dopamine receptors. In scientific terminology, 11 CD and 12 HC completed two positron emission tomography scans with [¹¹C]-(+)-PHNO, before and after oral administration of d-amphetamine. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) measures of glutamate in the striatum and hippocampus were obtained in the same subjects. Percent change in [¹¹C]-(+)-PHNO-binding potential (delta-BP_ND) was compared between groups and correlations with MRS glutamate, subclinical psychopathological and neurocognitive parameters were examined.

From this, they were able to measure the release of dopamine in the striatum, which is a brain region involved in memory, impulsive behavior and attention. Additionally, the team was able to track dopamine release in other brain regions, including the thalamus, midbrain and globus pallidus.

Participants were scanned before and after being given oral amphetamine to elicit dopamine release. The percent change in the binding of the radiotracer was taken as an indicator of capacity for dopamine release.

Results: Compared with the controls, the cannabis users had significantly lower dopamine release in the striatum, including subregions involved in associative and sensorimotor learning, and in the globus pallidus.

On further investigating the link between dopamine release in the striatum and cognitive performance on learning and working memory tasks, the researchers did not observe a difference in performance between the two groups. However, they do note that among all participants, those who had lower dopamine release performed worse on both tasks.

Conclusions: The researchers conclude their study by noting that the lower dopamine release is linked with inattention and negative symptoms in marijuana users, and with "poorer working memory and probabilistic category learning performance" in both groups. 

Article citation: Abi-Dargham, A.; et. al. Deficits in striatal dopamine release in cannabis dependence. Molecular Psychiatry 2016 | doi:10.1038/mp.2016.21

Cannabis-Based Epilepsy Drug (Epidiolex) has Positive News

Epidiolex, is a liquid formulation of highly purified Cannabidiol (CBD) extract which is under trials as a treatment for various orphan pediatric epilepsy syndromes. It has been granted Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of Dravet syndrome and  Lennox-Gastaut syndrome by US-FDA. 

Epidiolex also known as (GWP42003 oral solution) is as an oily solution containing 100 mg/mL of cannabidiol (CBD) dissolved in excipients, sesame oil, ethanol, sucralose and strawberry flavouring.

GW Pharmaceuticals is developing Epidiolex. 

In a Phase III study, the in-development epilepsy drug slashed rates of seizures by more than 50%, a hopeful sign for the cannabis-derived treatment. In a presentation with American Academy of Neurology, Epidiolex was credited with 54% reduction in number of seizures among patients with severe and/or treatment-resistant epilepsy. 

The study was conducted through an expanded access program, which allows drugmakers to make unapproved products available to patients who have life-threatening diseases with no therapeutic alternatives, and its results by no means stand in for placebo-controlled efficacy data. The study enrolled 213 people from toddlers to adults and dosed them with Epidiolex twice daily. Among the 137 patients who stayed on the drug for 12 weeks, the drug led to a 54% mean reduction in seizures, including a 53% average cut in those with Dravet syndrome and a 55% reduction in sufferers with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. 

GW Pharma, which is working on Phase III trials studying Epidiolex in Dravet and is planning a late-stage Lennox-Gastaut study in 2015 is very upbeat with these findings. The drug is already enrolled in the FDA's fast-track program, guaranteeing a speedy regulatory review. GW Pharma too plans to conducts a separate late-stage program and investigators believe the open-label study points to potential success for the cannabis-based therapy.

References:
1. ClinicalTrials.gov Epidiolex and Drug Resistant Epilepsy in Children (CBD). NCT02397863 (retrieved 30-05-2015)
2. ClinicalTrials.gov A Study of GWP42003 as Adjunctive Therapy in the First Line Treatment of Schizophrenia or Related Psychotic Disorder. NCT02006628 (retrieved 30-05-2015)

HIV Self Test Kit Launched in UK

BioSure HIV Self Test allows you to discreetly determine your HIV status in the comfort of your own home at a time that is convenient to you. The test is easy to perform, requires only a tiny drop of blood and gives an extremely accurate, simple to read result in 15 minutes. 

This new innovative HIV Self Test is over 99% accurate from 3 months after suspected exposure to the infection. The test offers discretion and privacy to the people, who don't want to go out to hospitals until they are sure. It has been priced at £29.95, and will be initially sold only on line through BioSURE's dedicated website www.hivselftest.co.uk and through the NHS online shop www.freedoms-shop.com.

BioSure also puts a word of advice to its potential user "If your test is negative it does not mean you are definitely not infected with HIV, especially if your exposure may have occurred within the past 3 months. If you engage in activities that increase your risk of exposure to HIV you should test regularly. This test is not suitable if you are receiving highly active anti-retroviral treatment (HAART)".

Milk, what is better Raw or Pasteurized ?

Milk, what is better Raw or Pasteurized ?

In 1864 Pasteur discovered that heating beer and wine just enough to kill most of the bacteria that caused spoilage prevented these beverages from turning sour. This was achieved by eliminating pathogenic microbes and lowering microbial numbers to prolong the quality of the beverage. Today the process of pasteurization is used widely in the dairy and food industries for microbial control and preservation of the food.

Pasteurization aims to reduce the number of viable pathogens

Unlike sterilization, pasteurization is not intended to kill all micro-organisms in the food. Instead, it aims to reduce the number of viable pathogens so they are unlikely to cause disease.

People who consume raw milk have supported their choice for reasons such as it tastes better, cures acidity, has more natural antibodies, reduces lactose intolerance, etc.

A growing consensus is favouring pasteurized milk over the raw milk. They have good reason to support this change too. Raw milk can cause serious infections. Raw milk and raw milk products (such as cheeses and yogurts made with raw milk) can be contaminated with bacteria that can cause serious illness, hospitalization, or death. These harmful bacteria include Brucella, Campylobacter, Listeria, Mycobacterium bovis, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Shigella, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Yersinia enterocolitica. From 1998 through 2011, 148 outbreaks due to consumption of raw milk or raw milk products were reported to CDC [1]. One has to see benefits and side-effects, and then decide what is best.

CDC says "Raw milk can cause serious infections"

An analysis conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) found that raw milk was associated with over half of all milk-related foodborne illness. The CLF analysis was prepared at the request of the Maryland House of Delegates’ Health and Operations Committee as lawmakers considered relaxing regulations that currently prohibit the sale of unpasteurized milk in Maryland.

References:

1. Raw Milk Questions and Answers. CDC site (retrieved on 27-03-2015)

Wife says "told ya"

Saccharin as Cancer Fighter: McKenna "New" Gold

Saccharin as Cancer Fighter: McKenna "New" Gold

Background:

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are a large family of zinc metalloenzymes that catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide. They participate in a variety of biological processes, including respiration, calcification, acid-base balance, bone resorption, etc. CA IX (CA 9) is a transmembrane protein and is one of only two tumor-associated carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes known. It is expressed in all clear-cell renal cell carcinoma, but is not detected in normal kidney or most other normal tissues. It may be involved in cell proliferation and transformation.

Saccharin (E954) is an artificial sweetener with effectively no food energy which is about 400 times as sweet as sucrose or table sugar. It is used to sweeten products such as drinks, candies, cookies, medicines, and toothpaste.  It is now the third-most popular artificial sweetener behind sucralose and aspartame.  Considering that sugar is prepared from organic plants such as corn, sugarcane etc and saccharin was prepared from product obtained from coal tar, saccharin always carried a stigma with it. This stigma was further aggravated in 1970s, when scientists conducting a study discovered a link between saccharin and bladder cancer in rats. The USFDA got the chance they wanted and they made it mandatory for the manufacturer to put a warning in all packaging.

In late 1990s, the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer took a closer look at all available information concerning saccharin and determined it did not cause cancer in humans. Later on, in 2010, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed saccharin from its list of hazardous substances.

At Present:

Now, in a shocking turn of events, a new study indicates that the artificial sweetener can actually be helpful in fighting cancer.

Saccharin's potential use in the development of new anticancer drugs is due to the way in which it binds to and deactivates carbonic anhydrase IX.  It does not affect the other similar proteins that are required to keep the body healthy.

Using  X-ray crystallography researchers have concluded how saccharin binds to carbonic anhydrase IX. The researchers have also investigated the ways in which saccharin or saccharin-based compounds might be altered to improve their binding capabilities and anticancer potential. Another independent team took this work further by creating a compound in which a glucose molecule is chemically linked to saccharin. The compound reduced the amount of saccharin needed to inhibit carbonic anhydrase IX and was 1,000 times more likely to bind to the protein than saccharin alone.

Presently, the team are testing how saccharin and saccharin-based compounds affect breast and liver cancer cells. If these preliminary tests prove to be successful, the team could look to commence animal studies.

The findings of McKenna (University of Florida) and his colleagues were presented at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). 

PCSK9 Inhibitors as Cholesterol Drugs

PCSK9 Inhibitors as Cholesterol Drugs

What is PCSK9?

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, also known as PCSK9, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PCSK9 gene. PCSK9 has medical significance because it acts in cholesterol homeostasis. Drugs that block PCSK9 can lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and are beginning Phase III clinical trials to assess their safety and efficacy in humans, and to determine if they can improve outcomes in heart disease.

PCSK9 Inhibitors

Two PCSK9 inhibitors, alirocumab and evolocumab, are in late-stage clinical development, because of their ability to lower LDL-C in patients for whom other treatments have been ineffective. Both of them are as the name suggest, -umab or monoclonal antibodies.

Costly than Statins

PCSK9 inhibitors will undoubtedly be a more costly treatment option than the current standard LMT, statins, which are a largely generalized class.

Trials and Results

The clinical trials for each of the PCSK9 inhibitors in development were designed to evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of evolocumab (OSLER) and alirocumab (ODYSSEY) in high CVD-risk patients with hypercholesterolemia not effectively controlled with their current lipid-modifying therapy (LMT). The clinical trials for both alirocumab and evolucumab were global and included a broad cross-section of subjects-all of whom had difficult-to-treat hypercholesterolemia. The studies cut across all demographic categories, including age, race, nationality and economic status. Each drug lowered LDL-C by about 60% and decreased the rate of CVD events, including heart attack, heart failure leading to hospitalization and death, by about 50%.

Advantages

The advantage of PCSK9 inhibitors is that dosing will only involve a subcutaneous injection either once or twice per month. Patients will receive pre-filled syringes that they can easily administer at home.

Side-Effects

Overall, patients treated with PCSK9 inhibitors had higher rates of nonspecific side effects, such as arthralgia, headache, limb pain and fatigue, compared with placebo-treated patients. There were also more injection-site reactions in subjects treated with PCS9 inhibitors. Moreover, 1% to 1.5 % of patients experienced treatment-related neurocognitive effects, mainly confusion and some memory loss.

Evolocumab (Repatha) is developed by Amgen and Alirocumab (Praluent) is Sanofi and Regeneron product.

Aducanumab can slow the progress of Alzheimer

Aducanumab can slow the progress of Alzheimer

Aducanumab, an antibody show benefits in patient who are administered with it in very earliest stage of Alzheimer. In a very small volunteer set of 166 patients, a trial for testing Aducanumab efficiency in combating dementia was tested. The trial results were presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases andRelated Neurological Disorders in Nice, France.

At one end, a small sample set is not very encouraging sign but the fact that there are no reliable alternative as drugs to halt or even slow the progress of dementia – of which Alzheimer’s is the most common type – means that any positive results will be greeted with enthusiasm.

The higher the dose of drug the patient was given, the greater the reduction. Tests also showed that those people who took the drug had a slower rate of mental decline than those who did not – although the trial was not set up primarily to see whether there was any effect on cognition.

Biogen Idec, the company that made the drug, announced it would be moving quickly into large-scale trials which will involve hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

Flibanserin: From Antidepressant to maybe Female Viagra ..... Whatever !!!!

Flibanserin is a long-chain arylpiperazine with an interesting story behind it. The molecule is classified as a 5-HT1A agonist and 5-HT2A antagonist, and had initially been developed as an antidepressant. Later it was found that it exerts potential antipsychotic effects. A molecule with multiple indication is good news but "very good news" was still hiding.

All the heavens must have rejoiced when Flibanserin was shortlisted by Boehringer Ingelheim as a drug to boost women sexual desire. Maybe not the Heavens, but surly the CEOs must have. Converting a pill into Bentley via FDA-catalyzed process is all CEOs dream-come-true........

Flibanserin is being studied as a non-hormonal treatment for pre-menopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). In simple words, the pill will a mood changer for the females, which if you ask any female is not true.

The operating systems (OS) for males and females have very different coding. Males are usually uni-directional beings, as compared to females which are multi-tasking. Male when goes to buy a pair of shoe, he buys a pair of shoe, but a female.... hmmm, we all know the story. So, for such a complex framework, finding any solution is not easy. Maybe the people at FDA thought same, so they gave negative report to Flibanserin, when Boehringer Ingelheim approached them in year 2010.

Heartbroken but able-minded, Boehringer Ingelheim transferred Flibanserin to Sprout Pharmaceuticals which is continuing the drug development process. Now, they have submitted a new report to FDA, with extra information that FDA have asked for.

The entire internet is going GA-GA over this new development, as if we all will get shiny Bentley’s. What we fail to understand is that here is that just few words of respect/love might do the magic for her, what an antidepressant/ antipsychotic/mood-changer hopes to do.  

Sprout Pharmaceuticals achieved approval of the drug by the US FDA in August 2015.

Flibanserin synthesis

Swine Flu in Indian Capital - Some Facts (updated 30-03-2015)

Swine Flu in Indian Capital - Some Facts

Till date following are the stats for Swine flu in Delhi, the capital of India:

1. Officially ~4500 people have been tested positive for H1N1 infection.

2. Officially, 12 person have died due to H1N1 infection.

3. Overall, the count of infected people is greater than 33761, and the death figure is 2035. The total death toll in Rajasthan has reached 415 and in Gujarat it stands at 428. Total number of cases for these states are, 6559 and 6495 respectively.

4. Youngest in Delhi is a 5 year old, a 3 three old in Mumbai, two pregnant woman are vicitm of this deadly flu. The government says there is no need to panic, as they have situation under control.

5. In Maharashtra, swine flu has claimed 394 lives while ~3500 people were affected by the virus. The toll in Madhya Pradesh touched 299 with 2186 cases having so far come to light.

6. Health Ministry figures show that in 2009, the virus had affected a total of 27,236 persons and caused 981 casualties while, in 2010, 20,604 persons were affected by the virus with the toll reaching 1,763.

7. The deadly virus has killed 53 people in Punjab, 73 in Telangana, 51 in Haryana, 38 in Uttar Pradesh, 25 in West Bengal, 82 in Karnataka, 18 in Jammu and Kashmir, 22 in Chhattisgarh, 21 in Himachal Pradesh and 22 in Andhra Pradesh.

8. A new study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has said that the swine flu virus in India may have acquired mutations that make it more severe and infectious than previously circulating H1N1 strains. Indian government and medical fraternity has rejected this idea.

The stock of Tamiflu at various government run hospitals is either over or it is running low. This has resulted in black marketing of both Tamiflu as well as WHO specified N95 masks. A strip of Tamiflu costs about INR 500 for 10 pills, now chemists are illegally selling it INR 400/pill. Same with N95 mask, the price is up from INR 70-90 to ~INR 400.

It is a shame to see thing happening but there is no control on this behaviour. The greed quotient always overcomes the humanity. Moreover, India being a Generic drug hub, such shortages are confusing to say the least.

Swine flu is very much curable. Just necessary precautions of maintaining hygiene; avoiding crowded places, keeping body temperature under control, keeping onself hydrated, etc. are simple things a person can do. The immune system behaves better when you have sound sleep and are in a stress free environment. These coupled with correct medication makes the fight against flu a complete victory.

In response to such report where black-marketing is reported, the Delhi government granted licence to 40 new drug stores to sell Tamiflu tablets for treatment of swine flu. Also, the government added two more designated laboratories to test for the disease and said the stock of medicines has been doubled.

Here this what the Mayor of Mumbai says about Swine Flu, well she says it is a "Heart Disease".

Greed has no End

Cancer and Its Treatment Costs both will Rise in Coming Decade

Cancer and Its Treatment Costs both will Rise in Coming Decade

The report titled 'Delivering affordable cancer care: a value change to health systems' provided a roadmap for facilitating patient involvement in clinical decision-making by  developing methodologies that will enable a better mechanisms, where patients are well-informed about techniques and costs. Moreover, the report stresses on processes which will eliminate waste generation in cancer treatment.

The report released at the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) at Doha (Qatar), predicted that between 2008 and 2030 the incidence of cancer will increase by 65% in high-income countries, 80% in middle-income countries and 100 % in the world's poorest countries.

In the summit, leading cancer specialists from around the globe discussed the increasing burden of worldwide spending on cancer treatment and care.

Policy makers were informed of the three root causes of excess spending -- Over-treatment and unnecessary interventions, technology without value and inefficient service delivery. As a result, it is expected that the cost of treatment will rise by 16-32% in over the next 10 years.

'Delivering affordable cancer care' was one of eight reports being presented at WISH 2015 where leading international health experts, policy makers and leaders discussing innovative solutions to some of the most pressing global health challenges.

WHO has recommended regulation in E-cigarettes

WHO has recommended regulation in E-cigarettes

In a report, World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended regulation in E-cigarettes and the liquids used inside them to protect the public. WHO wants e-cigarettes to be regulated in the same way that tobacco is.

E-cigs come with their set of problems. A recent article published in PLoS highlighted the various health issues that E-cigs can produce. 

Further more in its report, WHO points to the "great variety in the levels of toxicants and nicotine" produced by the hundreds of brands on the market - only a few of which have been studied. In the meantime, it recommends people opt for alternative nicotine replacement tools such as patches, gum and inhalers.

The e-cigarette industry is not against regulation, but Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association (ECITA) doesn't think that the products should be regulated like tobacco products or medicines. They argue that their product is safe, doesn’t cause any second-hand smoking problem, etc. Moreover, they claim that e-cigs has helped the next generation by keeping them away from normal cigarettes. They have also agreed to self-analyaze their product, so that they can keep away problematic substances, such as prohibited flavourings, etc. Industry sees e-cigs consumption similar to coffee, and not smoking.

Further reading:

1. Cigarettes are BAD - Both Normal as well as E-Cigs

Roundworms can help in Non-invasive Cancer Detection

Roundworms can help in Non-invasive Cancer Detection

In medicine world, a correct and fast diagnosis of the disease is half battle won. Combine the detection with low cost, and you can pass the benefit to masses.

In tune with the above idea a novel cancer detection methodology is being developed by Japanese multinational Hitachi and Kyushu University. They have used Ringworms as the identifiers of cancer in human body. The concept is simple as they have found ringworms are attracted to the urine of a cancer person.

The study was conducted on about 300 people and gave accurate results in over 90 percent of the cases. Each test would take only an hour and would cost less than an USD.

However, they said the gadget would not be able to detect different types of cancer, and a positive detection would require additional conventional tests. Test kits are expected to be launched by 2018.

Nature has its own cures.

Cats, Dolphins and Men : Evolution Says Everything

Chapter 1: Cats, Dolphins and Men : Evolution Says Everything

Two important points that I need to disclose beforehand:

1. I like cats and dolphins.

2. I believe that humans are born with a very unique gene, imRi8. It governs our life, behaviour, responses etc. During our evolution to adulthood, this gene either transforms into, YimRi8 (seen in social activists, philanthropists, or general people with good intentions etc), or it mutates into UrWr0ng (seen is CEO’s, political bosses, Head of Departments, etc). Teenagers generally have a reversible methylated version of imRi8, namely EvyB0dyWrng. The methylation occurs at Ser (as in serenity end) of the protein chain. Subsequently, either it outgrows to YimRi8 or binds forever into UrWr0ng.

The media is excited about this new published research which furthers our views on Darwinism. Many titles just had curious heading like why cat is cat and not dolphin? I wondered why, like rest of billions earthlings. So, I decide to practice the ancient art of reading combined with modern skill of downloading.

Here is link for the same, Cell (free copy to download).

I read it myself and found that adaptation causes evolution. The mammalian species that is best to adapt has better chances to survive. Darwin too said the same, for once we all agree to the knowledge of a married man [1]. They studied 20 mammals including cows [2], rats, etc.

The article is a fine piece of work which can further knowledge in understanding many aspects of evolution, and maybe some smart brain might find something that we all missed.

Anyways, as reading and downloading was happening, two news items further explain the evolution to me. 

They are:

1. Vietnam eats cats and Chinamen are smuggling them: WOW !!!! So that’s how you evolve to keep GDP’s at such high numbers. That is pure imRi8 gene working. No mutation just pure human instinct: Learn, adapt and sell anything and everything.

2. Man claims to share some sweetness with a DOLPHIN: Well, this inter-species “TWILIGHT” saga was indigestible for my Indian stomach too. Mind you we have bumpy roads to further assist in digestion but it just didn’t digest. What was I missing? Then, I saw it, he claims “He was Seduced”, well it suggest that UrWr0ng is playing it part. His devil came from water with a tail, and he is left with a tale.

Species that is smart enough to see an opportunity and grab it for its own purpose survives to see another day. Humans for ages have been successfully doing this. It is heart and intentions that makes the difference. In a moment's notice human can evolve into a canine to enjoy feline meat, or do anything else that is unthinkable. Finally, it has also mastered the art of "it wasn't me".

References:

1. Marriage is eye opener.  A married man sees things through wife’s eyes hence they see different things at same time.

2. Cows are smart animals. Few geniuses blamed their methane rich fart to global warming. The global confederation of cows and other milch animals kicked them out of their 60-seconds of fame spot.

Afterthoughts:

1. Renamed imR8 gene to imRi8 on wife's suggestion. Ref 1 is self-explanatory here.

2. Geniuses all over world must be planning to submit (or already submitted) multi-million dollar research projects with titles such as "To study the rise in the numbers of murine population in China/Vietnam due to human consumption of felines"; "Is a rat origin epidemic in making?"; "Nutritional values of rat burgur, John Spartan style"; etc.

3. Pharma companies must have geared them with task of discovering novel molecules using analogue based/target based drug discovery for MIHDs (murine infected human disease syndrome). In few years, we will have oral/vaccine/monoclonal antibodies/peptide-non-peptide/binding-in-binding out/DNA/RNA inhibitors for MIHDs.  Also, maybe a division specializing in contraceptives for inter-species adventures.

4. The publication world (media) will be busy too, publishing data, synthesis and reviews.

Conclusion : Human race is like virus, Mr. Anderson................................