Biomedical Laboratory Science

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Genetic Testing Before Pregnancy Should Be as Common as Taking Folic Acid

Very few pre-pregnancy checklists include carrier screening as an important health item.

The very first time I had to tell a patient that she was at 25 percent risk of having a baby with cystic fibrosis, she was already 16 weeks pregnant. Only a few months prior, I had graduated and passed my board exam for genetic counseling. This was a "textbook case," as the saying goes. I reviewed the numbers with her and her husband: Odds were in their favor that this pregnancy would not be affected with cystic fibrosis. This couple wanted to know – they needed to know – with more certainty about what to expect. They were older first-time parents, and they agreed that they did not have the financial or emotional means to raise a child with a chronic health issue.

Carrier screening should be universally offered in the preconception period, one expert argues.

Source: msn.com/en-us/health/medical

Monday, August 8, 2016

I Want to be a Medical Lab Technologist. What will my Salary be?

The job: Medical laboratory technologist

The role: From throat swabs to cancer screens, blood tests to DNA tests, Canadians generate over 440 million medical test results a year, which are conducted by medical laboratory technologists (MLTs).

“We would have been there the day you were born to test you for certain disorders as a baby, and you would have never known,” says Christine Nielsen, the chief executive officer of the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science in Hamilton . “As a healthy adult, when your doctor sends you off for lab tests and just wants to see what your glucose [level] is, your specimen goes through our people.”

National Microbiology Lab technician, Lillian Mendoza, processes patient samples for the measles

virus and genotyping in Winnipeg Manitoba, February 19, 2015.

Source: theglobeandmail

Could Regrowing Limbs be a Medical Possibility?

Although the idea of regrowing an amputated limb sounds like science fiction, some experts believe that, one day, it could become science fact. According to recent findings, the answers may be glimpsed in genes that we share with our very distant relatives.

Although humans cannot regrow lost limbs, there is a range of species that can regenerate lost appendages.

These animals include echinoderms, such as starfish and sea cucumbers; amphibians, including the axolotl and newt; and certain fish species.

Although these animals are considered to be far-removed from humanity, because we all evolved from a joint ancestor, we still share large quantities of genetic information.

And, humanity's ability to regenerate has not been completely lost. Although it is now limited to regrowing fingertips and healing wounds, similar genetic mechanisms are thought to be at work.

Limb generation may be a long way down the road, but genetic studies give a glimmer of hope.
Axolotls can regrow entire limbs with ease.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Literature Review: Targeting Mutant Kinases

Small-Molecule Kinase Inhibitors Have Typically Been Designed To Inhibit Wild-Type Kinases Rather Than the Mutant Forms

Kinases have been the target of extensive research to identify drugs to treat a variety of diseases in which the wild-type kinase or a mutant kinase plays a crucial role. Kinase mutations frequently lead to an activated state where the kinase is always active and no longer tightly regulated. Considering resistance mutations are also important for kinase inhibitors. A frequent escape route is a mutation to the gatekeeper amino acid that blocks inhibitor binding. A variety of large screening panels have been developed that range from binding assays to enzyme assays, each with their unique pros and cons.

A variety of large screening panels have been developed that range from binding assays

to enzyme assays, each with their unique pros and cons. [nicolas_/Getty]

Source: genengnews

'Feeling Full' Hormone Increase in Seniors May Explain 'Anorexia of Aging'

Elderly adults often experience loss of appetite, resulting in weight loss and undernutrition. Now, researchers suggest this may be down to increased production of a hormone called peptide YY, which tells humans when they are feeling full.

Termed "anorexia of aging," loss of appetite is common among elderly adults, with around 15-20 percent of seniors experiencing unintentional weight loss as a result.

While loss of appetite in seniors can be driven by emotional issues, such as depression or grief, in many cases, no underlying cause can be found.

Previous research has suggested loss of appetite in the elderly may be down to reduced production of ghrelin - a hormone that tells humans when they are hungry.

However, the new study - conducted by Mary Hickson, professor of dietetics at Plymouth University in the United Kingdom, and colleagues - found the hormone peptide YY may be to blame.

Researchers identified increased production of the "feeling full" hormone PYY in elderly women,
which may explain why older adults often experience loss of appetite.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Next-Generation Sequencing and the Future of IVF

Medical laboratories play a vital role in helping patients achieve success with assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). Recent advances in genetic screening such as next generation sequencing (NGS) are revolutionizing how IVF will be performed in the future. NGS can sequence DNA and RNA more quickly than ever before. New applications like these technologies are raising hopes for improved IVF success rates to help patients achieve their dreams of building a family.

Preimplantation genetic screening

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates, one in eight couples have trouble achieving or sustaining a pregnancy, and approximately 7.4 million women in the United States have received help for infertility. The use of ART has doubled over the past decade.

Source: mlo-online

Funny Picture 18: "We're all out of anti-biotic cream, so I'd like to share with you about the healing properties of a dog's tongue."

Source: medicalnewstoday

See more funny pics!

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Science Finds a Super Easy Way to Lose Weight

Even if you order seemingly healthy dishes, your restaurant habit is likely derailing your weight loss efforts.

It’s been a long day, you’re tired, and the last thing you want to do is trudge to the grocery store and slave over the stove to make dinner. But hold up; don’t tell your hubby to meet you at your favorite restaurant just yet—especially if you’re trying to shed weight. According to a new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, nearly all restaurant entrées carry more calories than you should eat in a single meal. Even worse, a fair number of restaurants manage to load their meals with an entire day's worth of calories!

To come to this stomach-churning discovery, researchers from Tufts University visited both independent and chain restaurants across the country and purchased dozens of popular entrees from gyros and spaghetti to meatballs to burritos.

Eat This, Not That!

Source: msn.com/en-ca/health/wellness

How to Perform CPR

Forget mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths. This expert-backed technique is the correct way to perform this lifesaver

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart unexpectedly stops beating, which cuts off blood flow to the brain and other organs. If not treated, it can cause death within minutes.

In fact, only about 10 percent of people overall who experience it outside a hospital survive with their brain functions intact, a new study in JAMA found.

But early action can stave off the Grim Reaper: When sudden cardiac arrest victims first received CPR from bystanders, they were more likely to survive with favorable prognoses, the researchers discovered.

But the way you perform CPR has changed in recent years. You no longer have to put your mouth on the victim’s.

Sleep Apnea Triggers Pediatric Fatty Liver Disease Progression

Obstructive sleep apnea and low nighttime oxygen - which results in oxidative stress - may trigger progression of pediatric non-alcoholic fatty liver disease to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) describes the accumulation of fat in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol. In some individuals with the condition, the accumulated fat causes inflammation and scarring in the liver, resulting in a more serious form of the disease called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

A disease of epidemic proportions, rates of NAFLD are increasing worldwide in both adults and children. NAFLD affects an estimated 30 percent of the population in Western countries and up to 9.6 percent of all children.

Around 38 percent of obese children are affected across the NAFLD spectrum, which includes isolated hepatic steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and cirrhosis.

A combination of OSA and low nighttime oxygen triggered NAFLD progression in obese adolescents.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Biomedical Laboratory Science