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Dr. Marie Gabrielle Laguna

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Medical doctor-internist

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Age-Related Hearing Loss A Result of Faulty Genes

Oct 1, 2016

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A large screening programme has recognized a few genes associated with age-related conditions together with hearing loss, retinal degeneration and osteoarthritis. The animal study, published in Nature Communications, could lead to studies of the similar human gene and may aid in strengthening screening programmes to identify the risk of constructing an age-associated condition a long time earlier than signs appear.

Age is a risk factor for many stipulations, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hearing loss, dementia and others, however the genes that we feature additionally impact whether we are inclined to these. Not much information is available about which genes have an impact on age-related stipulations, or how they do so.

To explore these further, researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Harwell offered new mutations at random positions in the genes of mice before they have been born, and then monitored their health as they aged. If an age-associated condition developed, the researchers investigated which detailed gene in that mouse had been mutated. One gene identified using this means was Slc4a10. This was once already known to be needed in eye functioning, but this new study linked faulty Slc4a10 to age-associated hearing loss for the first time.

Selecting this gene and others involving late-onset stipulations in mice could now prompt investigation of the equal genes in people to ask if naturally-occurring mutations in them may cause equivalent effects. In future, screening men and women for defects within the genes recognized would help predict their possibilities of setting up a unique condition, and the findings may inform therapy progress or timing of interventions.

Lead researcher, Dr Paul Potter of MRC Harwell, mentioned, Our study is an important springboard for a better understanding of which genes in humans are involved in age-related conditions, and how changes in those genes influence this. This is a first and vital step in developing new therapies.�

Dr Lindsay Wilson, Programme Manager for Genetics and Genomics at the MRC, said, As we get older, we have an increased risk of developing many conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hearing loss and dementia. The genes that we carry can influence this, but it is hard to know which do, or how. This study increases our understanding of the genes related to ageing and ill-health and may ultimately help us to identify new treatments.�

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Ginger Can Treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Sep 30, 2016

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A latest study done by researchers at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center studied the effects of ginger root on inflammatory bowel disease. Again at the lab, the scientists turned the ginger into what they’re calling GDNPs, or ginger-derived nanoparticles. The process began conveniently ample, with a kitchen blender. But then it involved super-high-velocity centrifuging and ultrasonic dispersion of the ginger juice, to interrupt it up into single pellets.

The research team, led by Dr. Didier Merlin with VA and the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University believes the particles are also excellent treatment for Crohn’s disorder and ulcerative colitis, the two primary types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The particles may additionally support the battle against cancer linked to colitis, the scientists think.

They fhave reported their findings, centered on experiments with cells and mice, within the September 2016 issue of Biomaterials. Every ginger-centered nanoparticle was about 230 nanometers in diameter. More than 300 of them might fit across the width of a human hair.

Fed to lab mice, the particles appeared to be unhazardous and had significant therapeutic effects. Importantly, they efficiently involved the colon with their effects. They have been absorbed by cells in the lining of the intestines, where IBD irritation happens. The particles lowered the occurrence of acute colitis and avoided continual colitis and colitis-related cancer. They improved intestinal restoration. Specially, they boosted the survival and proliferation of the cells that make up the lining of the colon. Additionally they diminished the creation of proteins that promote irritation, and raised the levels of proteins that fight infection.

Part of the therapeutic influence, say the researchers, comes from the high levels of lipids — fatty molecules — within the particles, an effect of the natural lipids in the ginger plant. One of the lipids is phosphatidic acid, a major constructing block for cell membranes.

The particles additionally retained key active ingredients found naturally in ginger, like 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol. Past lab studies have proven the compounds to be active against oxidation, irritation, and melanoma. This makes ginger a potent alleviation for nausea and different digestion problems. Traditional cultures have used ginger medicinally for centuries, and health food outlets sell ginger-based dietary supplements — such as chews, or the herb blended with honey in syrup — as digestive aids.

Offering these compounds in a nanoparticle, says Merlin’s group, may be a more effective option to target colon tissue than readily providing the herb as a food or supplement.

The suggestion of combating IBD with nanoparticles isn’t new. In recent years, Merlin’s lab and others have explored tips on how to deliver conventional medications by way of nanotechnology. Some of this studies are promising. The technique may enable low doses of medicines to be delivered only to the place they’re wanted — inflamed tissue within the colon — and thus avoid unwanted systemic results.

The ability of ginger, say the researchers, is that it’s safe, and could be a cheap supply of medication. The team is looking at ginger, and other vegetation, as capable “nanofactories for the fabrication of medical nanoparticles.”

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New Immune Therapy Treatment For Skin Cancer Discovered

Sep 29, 2016

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Utilizing new and innovative immune-therapeutic approaches to silence “don’t eat me” signaling proteins which are identified via specialised cells of the immune process, University of California, Irvine molecular biologists and their colleagues have recognized an amazing strategy to combat metastatic melanoma.

Led by Alexander D. Boiko, UCI assistant professor of molecular biology & biochemistry at the Ayala School of Biological Sciences and the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Center, the investigators discovered that blockading the cell surface protein, CD47 (known as a “don’t consume me” signal), on melanoma cells, accelerated the degree in which these cells have been phagocytosed, or “eaten,” by macrophages.

The group additional discovered that blockading CD47 in blend with concentrating on a second cell surface protein, CD271, previously found to be expressed on melanoma initiating cells, resulted in basically complete inhibition of metastases bobbing up from human melanoma tumors transplanted in mice. The results appear in the Aug. 9 in Cell Reports.

The cell surface protein CD47 was once known to be overexpressed by metastatic melanomas, which helps them �to avoid being eradicated by the organism’s immune system. CD271, then again, had been previously shown to mark a cell population in melanomas which are responsible for tumor initiation and metastatic spread of this aggressive melanoma. For the present gain knowledge of, Boiko and his research team conjectured that metastatic melanomas relied on the overexpression of both proteins to fool the immune process and spread to the different areas of the body.

To experiment with this hypothesis, Boiko and his colleagues used precise blockading antibodies towards CD47 (to prompt macrophage phagocytosis) and CD271 (to selectively target the most aggressive melanoma cell population). When mice bearing human metastatic melanomas were handled with this antibody regimen, researchers learned that simultaneous application of antibodies towards CD47 and CD271 resulted in removal of metastasis from all organs of experimental mice. Boiko’s group has further discovered that this therapeutic effect used to be mediated by profound alteration of the microenvironment surrounding the tumors, inflicting immune cells to battle cancer extra effortlessly.

Boiko remarked, Further research is needed to determine the full anti-metastatic properties of the dual CD47/CD271 antibody therapy and the safety of its application in human patients. However, combining this therapy with other emerging treatments that also modulate the immune system represents a new approach that may offer increased benefit against metastatic melanomas. These are very exciting times for the cancer immunotherapy field and we are aiming to add an important component to this type of treatment, which will hopefully translate into a more effective outcome for patients.�

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Inosine May Help Recover Motor Functions in Brain Injury

Sep 28, 2016

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The brain tissue can die because the effects of stroke, traumatic brain damage, or neurodegenerative conditions. When the affected areas include the motor cortex, fine motor impairment of the hand can result. In a new study published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, researchers have found out that inosine, a naturally occurring purine nucleoside that’s released by cells based on metabolic stress, can aid to revive motor control after brain injury.

Based on rodent study reports, researchers used eight rhesus monkeys ranging in age from 5 to 10 years (roughly identical to people from 15 to 30 years of age). All medical examinations and motor capabilities have been verified, together with video recording of fine motor capabilities used to retrieve small food rewards. All monkeys were given initial MRI scans to make certain there have been no hidden abnormalities in the brain.

Brain accidents had been created in the area controlling each monkey’s favoured hand. Four monkeys received inosine treatment, whilst four were given a placebo. Restoration of motor function was then measured for a interval of 14 weeks after the surgical procedure.

Even as both groups recovered motor functioning, three out of four of the treated monkeys had been competent to return to their pre-operative grasping methods. The placebo group developed a compensatory grasping approach for retrieving food rewards not like the usual thumb-and-finger procedure.

The lead investigator Tara L. Moore, PhD, of the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology and the Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA remarked, In the clinical context, the enhanced recovery of grasp pattern suggests that inosine facilitates greater recovery from this type of cortical injury and motor impairment. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the positive effects of inosine for promoting recovery of function following cortical injury in a non-human primate.�

Inosine has additionally been administered in human medical trials for multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disorder and has been confirmed to be safe in doses up 3000 mg/day. Athletes have used inosine as a nutritional supplement for decades, and inosine supplements are extensively available commercially. Dr. Moore further noted, Given the effectiveness of inosine in promoting cortical plasticity, axonal sprouting, and dendritic branching, the present evidence of efficacy after cortical injury in a non-human primate, combined with a long history of safe use, indicates a need for clinical trials with inosine after cortical injury and spinal cord injury.�

This study points out to neural plasticity, whereby the mind virtually “re-wires” connections between neurons to reestablish control pathways, as a therapeutic target for the recovery of fine motor control and grasping potential. Additional studies of cortical tissue from these monkeys are presently being completed and could provide further insights into the mechanisms underlying healing.

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New Solution against Antibiotic Resistance Discovered

Sep 27, 2016

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Scientists have recently developed a pioneering new therapy to prevent bacterial skin infections, which could be used in fighting ‘superbugs’, equivalent to MRSA.

The new therapy, developed by means of researchers on the University of Sheffield in collaboration with AGE UK, is a new strategy to prevent skin wounds, reminiscent of bed-sores and ulcers, from becoming infected.

This new therapy has been verified to work on antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as MRSA, which is presently some of the biggest threats to world healthcare.

Bacterial skin infections are a primary crisis for the elderly and people with chronic health conditions, comparable to diabetes. Contaminated wounds heal more slowly, inflicting affliction and misery for the sufferer, and are a huge expense to the NHS within the UK.

To start an infection, bacteria attach tightly to skin cells and have learned to hijack ‘sticky patches’ on human cells to acquire this. Using proteins known as tetraspanins, from human cells, the Sheffield scientists have made these patches a lot much less sticky, allowing microorganisms to be harmlessly washed away.

The study has shown that these proteins can prevent bacterial infections in human skin, which the scientists say give a clear indication that this therapy is both safe and effective.

This therapy was based on a model of 3D tissue engineered skin (TEskin) developed by engineers on the University.

The engineered skin, created by Professor Sheila MacNeil from the University’s of Materials Science and Engineering, can model contaminated wounds in human skin and mimics the tissue constitution of usual adult skin. It can be used to analyse the penetration of peptides and microorganisms.

Dr Pete Monk who led the study, said: This development is a huge breakthrough in the fight against antibiotic-resistance. Skin infections, such as bed-sores and ulcers, can be incredibly troubling for patients who may already be dealing with debilitating conditions. They are also a significant problem for modern healthcare. We hope that this new therapy can be used to help relieve the burden of skin infections on both patients and health services while also providing a new insight into how we might defeat the threat of antimicrobial drug resistance. The therapy could be administered to patients using a gel or cream and could work well as a dressing. We’re hoping it can reach clinical trials stage in the next three to five years.�

Unlike conventional antibiotics, the tetraspanin proteins don’t kill bacteria outright and do not encourage the evolution of resistance. Now, with study funding from the Humane Research Trust, Sheffield scientists are establishing the proteins for new anti-bacterial dressings so that it will help keep wounds sterile and so promote fast cure.

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PCOS and Resulting Diabetes and Heart Disease Can Be Prevented By Soy

Sep 26, 2016

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Females who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is a common cause of feminine infertility, could also improve their metabolic and cardiovascular well being when they consume soy isoflavones, in line with a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Soy isoflavones are natural plant-based estrogens located within the soybean plant. They are discovered in foods comparable to soy milk, as well as dietary supplements.

The study examined how food containing soy isoflavones would improve the condition of females with PCOS — a condition that impacts an estimated 5 million to six million women in the U.S..

Being the common hormone problems in women of reproductive age, PCOS occurs when a women’s body produces moderately higher quantities of testosterone and other androgen hormones, which are sex hormones generally related to men, but also found in women�than normal. The resultant hormonal imbalance can bring about irregular or absent menstrual periods, infertility, weight gain, acne, extra hair on the face and body, or thinning hair on the scalp. Women who have PCOS additionally face a bigger danger of setting up other health problems, together with diabetes and coronary heart disease.

According to the study author, Zatollah Asemi, PhD, of Kashan University of Medical Sciences in Kashan, Iran, Our research found that women who have PCOS may benefit from incorporating soy isoflavones in their diets. In the first study to examine the connection, we found women who consumed soy isoflavones regularly saw improvement in biological markers that reflect how effectively the body utilizes insulin to process sugars and had reduced levels of harmful cholesterol.�

Seventy women who are between the ages of 18 and 40 and who had PCOS joined in this prospective randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled medical trial. The women were observed in the Kosar hospital in Arak, Iran, between December 2015 and February 2016.

Half of the females have been randomly assigned to take a daily dose of 50 mg/d soy isoflavone supplement everyday for 12 weeks. This quantity is equivalent to the amount of soy isoflavones in 500 milliliters of soy milk. The other 35 individuals received a placebo. Participants were told to keep doing regular exercise and to avoid taking different dietary supplements in the course of the study. Blood samples were obtained from the women at the start and end of the study. The blood samples were analyzed to measure hormone and lipid levels, along with biomarkers of insulin resistance and inflammation.

Women who obtained soy isoflavones had decreased levels of circulating insulin within the blood and other organic markers associated with insulin resistance, a condition wherein the body would not use insulin to metabolize sugars effectively and that may lead to type 2 diabetes. The researchers also determined that women who took soy isoflavone dietary supplements tended to have lower levels of testosterone, bad cholesterol often called LDL and triglycerides, or fat within the blood, than their counterparts who had the placebo.

According to the lead author, There is growing interest in how adding soy to the diet can help address metabolic syndrome and related health conditions. Our findings indicate consuming soy isoflavone regularly may help women with PCOS improve their metabolic and cardiovascular health.�

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The Right Sunglasses Can Protect You Well

Sep 25, 2016

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Experts from the University of Alicante (UA) have discovered that extended exposure to the sun increases the hazard of setting up alterations within the lens by 4%. Determining the right pair of sunglasses can lessen such complications.

Despite that majority of the unsafe radiation from the sun is absorbed by the atmosphere, sufficient ultraviolet rays reach Earth’s surface to cause skin burns and eye complications in the retina and cornea. On this experience, reports highlight that every hour spent uncovered to the sun in the summertime increases the risk of creating variations within the lens by 4%.

But how will we decide upon a correct pair of sunglasses?

One of the greater ‘musts’ is that the glasses should undergo the European ‘CE’ seal, on the grounds that this means that they adhere to European safety standards.

Further advice from UA professor David Piñero urges us to not forget “that sunglasses are very important for visual health and, therefore, their purchase should be supervised by an optician-optometrist.�

Another important factor to grasp when you are buying part of sunglasses is what filter class you need. This relies on your vicinity and undertaking. In response to European regulations on sunglasses, UV filters are labeled into five categories, from zero to four.

For example, if you are driving, you may want to use a class 1, 2 or 3 filter lens, relying on the conditions; not a 4, because this will intervene with the way you see traffic signs. According to Piñero, in the summer in Alicante a category 2 or 3 filter is more than enough, though if we’re going out onto the water or into the mountains, where light is reflected much more strongly, protection level 4 would be advisable.�

Certain care must be paid to the glasses worn by children and old people. Children are specifically sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, considering that the lens continues to be transparent until adolescence. Category 2 or 3 is encouraged and very sturdy lenses and frames. Old people must put on the same category lens.

Just as cost isn’t a trademark of quality, neither is the colour of the lens a trademark of the level of protection provided. According to Piñero, There are very dark lenses that do not correctly filter ultraviolet light, leading to greater pupil dilation and an increase in the radiation that enters the eye.�

Ultraviolet radiation is a risk factor for our eyes and ” has an accumulative effect that can, in some cases, set off problems in the photoreceptors in the retina (the rods and cones), progressively bad vision, macular degeneration, or the onset of pterygion, where tissues invade the cornea, known colloquially as Surfer’s Eye.�

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New Blood Testing Technology Monitors Infections

Sep 24, 2016

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New blood-checking technology that promises to strengthen healthcare cures for cancer sufferers, post-operative care and reveals the health of babies within the womb is being developed by Lancaster researchers.

A portable bedside blood diagnostics device is the focus of a collaborative study assignment involving Lancaster-headquartered corporation eBiogen Limited, clinicians from Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, and academics from Lancaster University’s Chemistry Department and Faculty of Health and Medicine.

This new small-scale technology, called ‘EBio-LacSens’, would swiftly measure blood traits to monitor for sepsis or toxins. It might be a just right indicator of the success of remedies following operations and it might lead to the early detection of sepsis in chemotherapy sufferers. In addition it could support evaluation of the status of foetuses.

The device does this by taking pinprick samples of blood and delivering fast chemical evaluation in less than a minute. This quick processing of samples, in comparison with the normal method where samples that must be despatched for evaluation at hospital laboratories (a procedure that may take hours), makes it possible for medical staff to quickly adjust remedies in line with the improved data.

Michael Mumford, from eBiogen, remarked,This project passed its feasibility stage and it is now progressing well in its prototype stage with encouraging results. We are starting the human blood testing soon before proceeding to market. Lancaster University has enabled us to develop a rich and supportive expert network.� Through bringing blood diagnostics closer to the sufferer there are further benefits of decreased hazard of illness and price savings.

Dr Mukesh Kumar, the Project Research Fellow, stated,” Although the existing point-of-care testing kits have resolved a few conventional problems, they have not had a great impact in most clinical testing. The new technology would circumvent many current problems through miniaturization, enabling an economical, portable analyser to be used ‘by the bedside’. The prospect of being able to significantly reduce the time between taking a sample and the delivery of the analysis is exciting and rewarding.�

The point-of-care market has been estimated at $38B (�28.7B) in 2017. This $38B represents sixteen per cent of the entire in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) market.

Professor Peter Fielden, Head of Chemistry at Lancaster institution, stated: ” Working with eBiogen has given us a great opportunity to develop our academic ideas through technology transfer into real devices that will have significant impact in healthcare.�

An additional improvement to the technology is that it uses very small samples of blood plasma — just a few microlitres (pinprick droplets) as opposed to a few millilitres (a full vial) as required via present testing techniques. It is a significant difference when coping with young children and sufferers with fragile blood vessels.

Dr David Telford, Consultant Microbiologist at Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust further commented: “A unique feature of this new project is the close links and networks developing between academics and clinical end-users at all stages of product development from concept to marketing. This ensures that our products are useful in the modern health care environment.”

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New Guidelines Out For Kidney Stones Treatment

Sep 23, 2016

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A new guideline for the surgical treatment of sufferers with kidney stones or ureteral stones has been released by the American Urologic Association. The Chair of the panel, Dean Assimos, M.D., has worked with a team of kidney stone specialists to improve one of the vital recommendations that the AUA has ever produced, highlighting more than 50 statements on quality practices when treating patients with kidney and ureteral stones.

According to him, The most pertinent change is that decision-making for treatment and therapy for patients with kidney and ureteral stones should be shared between physician and patient�.

Kidney stones impact more than 8.8 percent of the population in the United States, with direct and indirect medication expenditures estimated to be several billion dollars per year, making it a long-established and high-priced ailment. These guidelines further define educated ideas on the subject of therapy of renal stones, small tough mineral deposits formed within the kidneys, and ureteral stones, stones that have moved from the kidney to the ureter.

These guidelines comprise imaging and pre-operative testing, treatment of adult patients with ureteral stones, treatment of adult patients with renal stones, treatment for pediatric patients with ureteral or renal stones, treatment for pregnant patients with ureteral or renal stones and treatment for all patients with ureteral or renal stones.

The guidelines provide instruction on the analysis of patients with renal and/or ureteral stones and highlight the lab and imaging tests that will have to be used prior to the intervention for such sufferers.

The technical points of ureteroscopic elimination of stones are addressed more greatly within the guidelines. The earlier guidelines mentioned medical expulsive treatment through the utilization of alpha blockers to facilitate the passage of stones in all segments of the ureter. Nevertheless, the contemporary guidelines recommend this medication only for stones in the distal ureter, which is placed in the lower part of the kidney. Ureteroscopic elimination of ureteral stones may just probably render a sufferer stone-free in one process. In this process, a ureteroscope is used to either extract an intact stone or break it up utilising a laser followed by the subsequent removing of the generated fragments.

The guidelines also speak about the usage of stents in the ureter after a ureteroscopic system. Clinicians could pass over ureteral stenting in patients who have the following: no ureteral injury during ureteroscopy, no anatomic obstruction or hindrance or obstacle to stone fragment clearance, normal function in the opposite kidney and normal renal function and no plans for secondary ureteroscopic procedure.

According to the Chair, In the past, there was a portfolio of guidelines for physicians discussing prevention and treatment in various types of patients with kidney stones. Evidence has changed over time, prompting an update and the need for more comprehensive guidelines. The panel developed this set of guidelines based on evidence from past clinical trials and studies published in the peer reviewed literature, as well as expert consensus of the physician panelists.�

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Low Birth Infants Treated With Steroids May Have Vision Problems

Sep 22, 2016

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Considering the effects of corticosteroids on lung function, mainly in infants who are ventilator based, corticosteroids are, at times, administered to very low birth weight neonates to treat evolving lung disease. However, it has long been been suspected that steroids could have negative neurodevelopmental effects on very premature babies.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS), researchers have found out that for very premature infants with birth weights of less than 500 grams, there was a 1.6 time increased chance for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and a 1.7 times greater danger for advanced ROP.

Data on 1,472 neonates discharged from 167 Neonatal Intensive Care Units between 1996 and 2013 had been gathered from the Pediatrix BabySteps Clinical Data Warehouse, a large scale database of infant wellness records. Even though this database comprises information on more than 1.1 million infants, investigators confined their evaluation to extremely premature infants, with birth weights at the lower level of viability.

These special infants have the greatest threat for disorders associated with prematurity. Neonates within the study met three predominant standards: birth weight of less than 500 grams, discharged from the hospital alive, and availability of ophthalmic ROP examination results. Diagnoses of ROP had been standardized according to the International Classification of Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Lead investigator Tammy Z. Movsas, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Midland County Department. of Public Health, Midland, MI and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University, School of Human Medicine, Our study group consists of premature infants with birthweights at the lowest level that is compatible with life. This group represents a more homogeneous set of neonates than in other studies that consist of premature infants with a broader range of birthweights. Neonates at these critically low birth weights (and gestational ages) are at the absolute highest vulnerability for a host of neonatal morbidities including ROP and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Thus, clinical differences between steroid treated and untreated neonates are minimized.�

These results indicated that after correcting for lung ailments as well as different reasons that may make a contribution to ROP risk corresponding to gestational age, there may be still a higher risk of ROP in steroid-handled infants than in those infants not handled with steroids. 1,059 (72%) of the babies got postnatal steroids while 413 (28%) didn’t.

The total incidence of ROP (of any stage) for the entire group was once 76.6%, and the overall incidence of advanced stage ROP (phases 3, 4, or 5) used to be 31.3%. The incidence of any ROP was once enormously better in steroid-treated toddlers (80.5%) than in non-treated infants (66.8%). For advanced stage ROP, incidence was also tremendously higher within the treated group (35.3%) compared to the untreated group (21.1%).

The lead author commented, This study of a large database of critically low birth weight survivors indicates that steroid-treated infants have a modest but significantly increased risk for ROP. That said, clinicians need to use their best judgment to balance the positive effects from steroids on developing lungs with potential negative effects on developing eyes in very premature infants. This study has potential clinical significance since children with a history of ROP are not only at increased risk for visual impairments from the ROP itself, but are also at increased risk for developing other ocular disorders later in life.�

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