Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

Friday, May 1, 2015

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)

Tuesday, April 28, 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)".


Friday, March 27, 2015

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"

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

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). 

Saturday, March 21, 2015

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.


Tuesday, February 24, 2015

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.

Monday, February 23, 2015

AIDS Virus' History Revealed in the Book Named The Chimp and The River

David Quammen, author of the book, The Chip and The River:How AIDS Emerged from an African Forest,  reports his version of the history of AIDS virus. 

In Cameroon around the year 1908, a hunter became infected with blood from a chimpanzee and was the first known person to catch the disease. Quammen claims that the hunter infected others through sex – and the virus travelled via the Congo to Haiti in the 50s. The virus may have actually reached the U.S. in 1969, via Haiti – but was not diagnosed until 1981, when a study on young gay men with pneumonia identified the syndrome.

He writes ‘It reached drug addicts through shared needles. It reached gay men… by sexual transmission, possibly from an initial contact between two males, an American and a Haitian.’ This is in sync with the obseravtions of many authors who have reported their versions of AIDS history.

Quammen has supported the natural transfer theory (also called 'Hunter Theory' or 'Bushmeat Theory'), the "simplest and most plausible explanation for the cross-species transmission" of Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) or Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (post mutation), where the virus was transmitted from an ape or monkey to a human when a hunter or bushmeat vendor/handler was bitten or cut while hunting or butchering the animal. He too has discarded the idea of Gaëtan Dugas being the patient zero (patient 0).

Luteolin : A Natural Fighter of Cancers

Luteolin : A Natural Fighter of Cancers


Luteolin (3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a natural occuring flavonoid that exists in many plants including in their fruits, vegetables, and also in few medicinal herbs.

Vegetables and fruits such as celery, parsley, broccoli, onion leaves, carrots, green peppers, cabbages, apple skins, chamomile tea, olive oil, peppermint, rosemary and chrysanthemum flowers are luteolin rich [1,2]. Plants rich in luteolin have been used as Chinese traditional medicine for hypertension, inflammatory diseases, and cancer [3]. Luteolin and its glycosides are widely distributed in the plant kingdom; they are present in many plant families and have been identified in Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, Pinophyta and Magnoliophyta [4]. Flavonoids are have been beneficial to human as well as animal kingdom due to their important pharmacologically activities such as being antioxidants, estrogenic regulators, and/or antimicrobial agents [5]. Moreover, there are evidences that suggest that flavonoids may block several points in the progression of carcinogenesis, including cell transformation, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis, through inhibiting kinases, reducing transcription factors, regulating cell cycle, and inducing apoptotic cell death [5].

Interestingly, the pharmacological activities of luteolin could be functionally related to each other. For instance, the anti-inflammatory effect of luteolin also may be linked to its anticancer function. The anticancer property of luteolin is associated with inducing apoptosis, which involves redox regulation, DNA damage, and protein kinases in inhibiting proliferation of cancer cells and suppressing metastasis and angiogenesis. Furthermore, luteolin sensitizes a variety of cancer cells to therapeutically induced cytotoxicity through suppressing cell survival pathways and stimulating apoptosis pathways [6]. Likewsie, luteolin displays specific anti-inflammatory effects at micromolar concentrations which are only partly explained by its anti-oxidant capacities [7].

When compared to other flavonoids, luteolin was usually among the most effective ones, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation with IC50 values between 3 and 50 µM in vitro and in vivo by 5 to 10 mg/kg i.p., intragastric application of 0.1-0.3 mg/kg/d, or as food additive in concentrations of 50 to 200 ppm. Luteolin has been shown to penetrate into human skin, making it also a candidate for the prevention and treatment of skin cancer [8]. Notably, luteolin is blood-brain barrier permeable, rendering it applicable to the therapy of central nerve system diseases, including brain cancer [9].

Epidemiological studies suggest that dietary intake of flavonoids is inversely associated with risk of lung, prostate, stomach, and breast cancer in humans [1]. However, there are few epidemiological reports designed to study the role of luteolin in cancer prevention. As more such studies will be reported a clearer image of luteolin, and its role as an anticancer and/or chemoprevention agent will emerge.

Researchers have formulated water soluble polymer-encapsulated Nano-luteolin from hydrophobic luteolin, and studied its anticancer activity against lung cancer and head and neck cancer. In vitro studies demonstrated that, like luteolin, Nano-luteolin inhibited the growth of lung cancer cells (H292 cell line) and squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN) cells (Tu212 cell line). In Tu212 cells, the IC50 value of Nano-luteolin was 4.13 µM, and that of luteolin was 6.96 µM. In H292 cells, the IC50 of luteolin was 15.56 µM, and Nano-luteolin was 14.96 µM [10].

Finally, in a recent study, luteolin was identified as the inhibitor of vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) by screening a small-molecule natural compound library [11]. Luteolin is also being considered as a potential cure for colorectal cancer [12].

Luteolin synthesis: Bull Korean Chem Soc 2012, 33(5), 1773-1776

References:
1. Neuhouser, M. L. Dietary flavonoids and cancer risk: evidence from human population studies. Nutr Cancer 2004, 50, 1-7.
2. Miean, K. H.; et. al. Flavonoid (myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, and apigenin) content of edible tropical plants. J Agric Food Chem 2001, 49(6), 3106-3112.
3. Harborne, J. B.; et. al. Advances in flavonoid research since 1992. Phytochemistry 2000, 55, 481-504.
4. López-Lázaro M. Distribution and biological activities of the flavonoid luteolin. Mini Rev Med Chem 2009, 9(1), 31-59.
5. Birt, D. F.; et. al. Dietary agents in cancer prevention: flavonoids and isoflavonoids. Pharmacol Ther 2001, 90, 157-177.
6. Lin, Y.; et. al. Luteolin, a flavonoid with potentials for cancer prevention and therapy. Curr Cancer Drug Targets 2008, 8(7), 634-646.
7. Seelinger, G.; et. al. Anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic activities of luteolin. Planta Med 2008, 74(14), 1667-1677.
8. Seelinger, G.; et. al. Anti-carcinogenic effects of the flavonoid luteolin. Molecules 2008, 13(10), 2628-2651.
9. Wruck, C. J.; et. al. Luteolin protects rat PC12 and C6 cells against MPP+ induced toxicity via an ERK dependent Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway. J Neural Transm Suppl 2007, 72, 57-67.
10. Majumdar, D.; et. al. Luteolin nanoparticle in chemoprevention-in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2014, 7(1), 65-73.
11. Kim, Y. S.; et. al. Luteolin suppresses cancer cell proliferation by targeting vaccinia-related kinase 1. PLoS One 2014, 9(10), e109655.
12. Pandurangan, A. K.; et. al. Luteolin, a bioflavonoid inhibits colorectal cancer through modulation of multiple signaling pathways: a review. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2014, 15(14), 5501-5508.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

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.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

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:

Saturday, February 14, 2015

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.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

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................................